FINDING MULDER
by Donna McIntosh
Summary: Skinner and Scully go looking for Mulder after he was taken by the aliens and they have an unlikely ally.


Title: FINDING MULDER (AU)

Author: X-Files

Paring: Skinner/Krycek

Rating: NC-17 FRAO

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Chris Carter. I make no money off them, I just like to play with them once in a while.

Summary: Skinner and Scully go looking for Mulder after he was taken by the aliens and they have an unlikely ally.

FINDING MULDER

Skinner glanced at his watch, 7:59 pm, just as someone knocked at the door. He pulled it open and invited Scully in. She came in with an anxious smile.

"Sir? You know something about Mulder?" she asked hopefully.

"Me? I thought you had some news?" he asked her, confused.

"Your note said to meet you here at 8:00 that it was about Mulder." She pulled the note from her pocket and handed it to him.

He reached into his pocket and drew out a piece of paper and handed it to her.

"I got a note saying you wanted to meet me here at 8:00 about Mulder." They stood staring at each other.

"Who would do this? Who could have any information?" She shook her head in wonder.

The knock on the door startled them both. Skinner went over, opened it and came face to face with Alex Krycek.

"KRYCEK! What the hell are you doing here?" Anger and frustration building inside of him.

"I'm the one who sent you those notes; you and Scully." He said.

"You know something?" Scully came over to him. "If you know anything at all about this, Krycek, you better say so right now!"

"That's why I'm here. Can we please talk about this inside?"

Skinner stepped back and let him in, reluctantly.

"Just what exactly is it that you think you know and why should we believe a word you say?" Skinner demanded.

"First of all, I don't know anything for sure; but I may know a way to find him if you're interested."

"And who and what are we going to owe for this information?" Skinner asked through slitted eyes.

"I don't blame you for being suspicious but this has nothing to do with who I work for."

The three of them stood in the middle of Skinner's living room staring at one another.

"OK, then. You know something? Tell us where he is?" Skinner insisted.

"It's all just a slim possibility but you've been looking for him for over three months now and haven't had any luck. You can believe this or not, but I've been looking for him too."

"And you think you might know where he is?" Scully asked.

"I think I might be able to contact someone who might be able to tell us."

"That's a lot of 'might's." Skinner said.

"True. But it's not like you've over-burdened with leads right now is it?"

"Who is this someone that might know something?" Scully asked skeptically.

"Well that's something else now."

"He doesn't have anything, Scully. He's just trying to find out what we know." Skinner turned away.

"You were with him when he was taken, Skinner. You know who has him." Krycek said.

"I know what I saw," was all that Skinner would admit to.

"OK. Here it is. The three of us here in this room know the aliens have him. That's not debatable. I'm not even sure which group has him. I may be able to contact one group. Communication with them is very difficult but not impossible. I thought they might know where Mulder is and how we could get him back. I thought it was worth a try."

Skinner and Scully stood staring at him; not wanting to believe what they had just heard, but in their hearts they knew it was true.

"So why haven't you done it already? Why come here and trot out this incredible story? What do you hope to gain by all this?" Scully challenged, hands on hips.

"As I said, communicating with them is very difficult. I can't, I won't do it alone. I'll need both your help."

"What exactly is it you'd need us for?" Skinner asked, staring his best AD glare at Krycek.

"I have been in communication with them before; it took a lot out of me. I need you to see to it that I get back here in one piece. And Scully needs to come along in case we do find Mulder; he'll probably need medical care and it's not like we can just take him into any hospital."

"Where would we be going?" Skinner asked, a little less skeptical.

"Terma, North Dakota." Krycek answered.

"The silos?" Scully asked.

"Yeah. They're in a ship down there; silo 1013; if it's even still there.

"You know this for a fact? You've seen them? These aliens?" Skinner asked.

"Yeah. I have. About 4 years ago."

"What makes you think they are still there?" Scully asked.

"Time to them is nothing. They sat at the bottom of the Atlantic for 50 years." Krycek answered.

Skinner and Scully looked at each other, wondering whether to believe him or not.

"Like I said, it's just a possibility, that's all. I know there a lot of 'ifs' here, but at this point, what have we got to loose?" Krycek looked from one to the other for a response.

"And just how do you figure we can get in to this silo? Wherever the hell it is?" Skinner asked.

"I can get us in the silo, that's not a problem. Last time I was there, the old man left me behind to die in there. That's why I need you to come along; to watch my back while I'm down there trying to get information." He rubbed the back of his neck; remembering the days he was locked up in that place.

"What's in this for you?" Skinner asked.

"Nothing!" Krycek heaved a sigh. "I just want your promise that you won't leave me down there; in that silo."

Skinner and Scully took a few steps away and spoke quietly to each other.

"What do you think?" Scully asked.

"I don't know what to think. We've tried everything else and we've got nothing."

Scully nodded her head in agreement.

"OK" Skinner said, "I'll go with you and I'll see to it you get back here safely but Scully stays here."

"No!"

"No!"

Two voices spoke as one.

"I'm going!" Scully insisted.

"We need her!" Krycek insisted.

"You don't ….understand, Krycek. Scully…..isn't well. She's been ill."

"I'm fine and I'm going!" Scully insisted.

"You mean her pregnancy?" Krycek asked.

"How do you know about that?" Scully asked. Skinner was too surprised to speak.

"It's not important right now. The important thing is finding Mulder and getting him back here safely."

The three of them nodded in agreement and Skinner pulled out his phone.

"I'll get us tickets for the next flight."

"No!" Krycek stopped him. "I can't be seen with the two of you. I've got a motor home downstairs. It's all packed and stocked. It has a bed in the back; in case Mulder….needs it. I've got enough food, water and medicines for several days. The only stops we'll have to make will be for gas. No restaurants, no motels. We'll stop at campgrounds and keep a low profile."

"You want to drive nearly 2000 miles with a pregnant woman? You're out of your mind!" Skinner yelled.

"I'm OK. I can make it!" Scully insisted.

"It's her decision," Krycek said. "If you want, she could fly up and meet us when we get there, but that puts this thing open for somebody to take notice."

"He's right. They probably have contacts at the airports. It might send up a red flag if one of us takes a flight somewhere." Scully agreed with Krycek.

Skinner shook his head and heaved a great sigh; he knew they were right. They couldn't risk being seen at an airport.

"You were that sure we'd go along with this crazy scheme of yours?" Skinner asked.

"What other choices do you have? Are you willing to just sit here until somebody reports a body found that matches his description?" He glanced at them both and their looks told him, he was right. They had no other leads to follow. They were at a dead end and every day Mulder was gone made it less likely that they'd find him alive.

"So when are you planning this little trip?" Skinner asked resigned to follow this wild goose chase.

"What's wrong with right now? It's Friday night, it's dark outside; no one will see us leave. Scully, I assume you still carry an emergency overnight bag in the trunk of your car?" Krycek said.

"I do." She answered.

"So how long do you think this will take?" Skinner asked thinking about the plans he had made for the weekend.

"I don't know Skinner; a few days, a week maybe. I have no way of knowing."

"So this little trip is open ended?" Skinner squinted at him.

"That's about it, I'm afraid."

"And there's no guarantees, not even any hint of a real possibility of finding Mulder?"

Krycek shook his head 'no'.

"What have we got to loose?" Scully chimed in. "It's a chance. Not much of one, I'll agree, but at least we'd be doing something instead of just waiting around."

"You sure you want to do this, Scully? Why not stay here and let me look into this first. I can call you the minute I find out anything, you know I will." Skinner tried one more time to dissuade her.

"I'm going! But first we'll have to stop at my apartment. I need to pick up something, something that I don't carry in my bag."

"These?" Krycek held up a bottle of pills and rattled them.

"My prenatal capsules!" She took them in amazement.

"I figured you'd be needing them so I checked your records to find out what you're taking and there's a 30 day supply there." Krycek smiled at her.

"Let me throw a few things in a bag." Skinner hurried up the stairs to pack.

"You really think we have a chance of finding him?" Scully asked.

"I don't know, Scully. I really don't. But I do think, it's about the only shot we have at this point."

"Why are you doing this? Why do you want to find him? I won't let you hurt him." She warned.

Krycek's head went down and he studied his shoes as he leaned back against Skinner's desk. "I grew up without a father or a mother." He looked back up at her. "A baby needs his parents; both of them."

They waited in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. In five minutes, Skinner came

back down the stairs then, sports bag over his shoulder and jacket over his arm. "Thought I'd better wear this." He pulled a baseball cap over his bald head.

"Good idea. This building has pretty good security cameras. That's why I brought this."

Krycek reached into his levi jacket and pulled out a blond wig which he pulled on over his dark hair and a thick pair of glasses, changing his appearance completely.

"We should leave separately. Use the service elevator in the back. I'll go down first; get the motor home started and the heater on. I'm parked in the visitor's lot and the only motor home there. You two come on down, one at a time. We don't need anyone getting suspicious. If you give me your key, Scully, I'll get your bag. Anything else you need out of your car?"

"No, just my bag." She handed him her keys.

He took them and was out the door and gone.

"You go next," Skinner said to her. "I'll go down in the elevator with you and wait there till you make it. Get your cell phone out and dial my number. I want to keep in contact with you all the way. As soon as you're safely inside, I'll come."

She pulled out her phone and dialed him. His phone chirped in his pocket and he took it out.

"OK now. Keep your eyes opened. If you see anything remotely suspicious, give me a holler. I'm right behind you."

"OK."

They decided enough time had passed and they left the apartment and headed for the elevator. It came for them right away and they were in it and in another few minutes they were down in the parking garage.

"Let me have a look around first." Skinner said, leaving Scully standing in the elevator doorway. "You hear anything at all, you get back inside and close that door."

She shook her head 'yes' and Skinner stepped out into the darkened underground garage. He was in an area he had never been before but it was just one floor below ground level so he was able to see somewhat. There were few lights as it was a service area and not usually used at night. It was deserted, no vehicles in sight, he walked over to the far wall looking out onto the visitor parking area. All looked quiet. The mobile home sat there among several other cars.

He walked back to the elevator, to Scully. "Everything looks alright. You keep that phone in your hand though." He walked with her over to the opening driveway and watched her leave. He was happy he could watch her the entire walk to the motor home. Just as she arrived, the door to the motor home opened and she went inside. His phone came to life.

"Sir? I'm here. Everything looks fine."

"OK. I'm going to wait here another few minutes before I leave. Keep your phone open and at the ready until I get there."

"Will do."

Just as he was about to leave the motor home started up and he felt a moment of panic but then realized that Krycek was pulling the home up closer to the driveway where he was waiting. It pulled to a stop right in front and he grabbed the door open and hopped in. Krycek took off at a leisurely pace, keeping everything calm.

"Have a look around," Krycek called to them from the driver's seat. "We'll have everything we need in here. Scully can have the bed in the back and rest all she needs. The couch makes into a bed that you can use, Skinner and there's a bunk up here that pulls down that I'll use. There's a bathroom with a shower, full pantry and fridge; enough supplies for at least a week. If we need more we can always stop and get them."

He maneuvered the motor home through traffic easily.

Skinner and Scully took a brief tour of the place and returned to the front and sat down.

"Looks like you've thought of everything." Skinner said, taking the co-pilot's seat while Scully sat on the couch directly behind the driver.

"I tried to." Krycek said.

"Who does this rig belong to? It's not stolen, is it? We don't need to be pulled over by some traffic cop."

"It's mine." Krycek chuckled. "I've had it for a couple of years now. The old man knows nothing about it. It's registered in the name of a foreign corporation out of Switzerland."

"I still don't understand why you're doing all this, Krycek? What's in it for you?" He asked.

"I know what they go through up there. I've seen it happening before but never to anyone that I knew personally. Mulder's a good man. Just because we don't see eye to eye on things doesn't mean that I'd let that happen to him if I could do anything to help it."

They drove on in silence for a while, making it to the interstate, and heading northwest.

"If the two of you are hungry, there are some sandwiches in the fridge; snacks in the pantry. We've got a long drive ahead of us. I should be good for several hours. Why don't' the two of you get some rest. Scully, the bed is all made up in the back; it's quite comfortable. Skinner, there's pillows and blankets in the compartment over the couch there. Just make yourselves at home."

"When do you plan on stopping?" Skinner asked.

"Not until I have to. Gas tanks are full so I should be able to make it until morning at least. Then you can take over for a while. You think you could handle this rig?"

"Yeah. I've driven trucks before. I can handle it."

"Good. This thing drives as smooth as a car; you just have to remember that you have a long tail to think about."

Just past midnight Skinner went into the back and took Scully with him. He talked her into lying down and getting some rest. He checked out the bathroom, relieved himself and then came back up front.

"You get her to lie down?" Krycek asked.

"Yeah. She's had a long day and she tires more easily now." He reached into the overhead compartment and pulled out a pillow and blanket. "You sure you don't need me to keep you awake?"

"No. I got a thermos of coffee right here and I slept in this morning. I'll be fine. Get some rest."

Skinner lay down and pulled the blanket over him. A few hours ago, the last thing on his mind would have been going on a cross-country trip with Scully and Alex Krycek! He was exhausted though, it had been a long and tiring week and he had been looking for a weekend of rest and relaxation. He had even planned a little trip to Madam Lee's for a little personal relaxation but he'd have to call tomorrow and cancel that. That's a shame; he ran a hand over his privates, he was sure looking forward to that. The couch was comfortable though and the vibration of the motor, the warmth of the blanket, soon lulled him to sleep.

Scully lay nervously in the bed in the back, saying her prayers and adding a special prayer at the end for help in finding Mulder. She needed him now, more than ever. He had to know that he was going to be a father. She wondered how he would take the news, if it would change any of his priorities, if maybe, just maybe, he might be willing to settle down some, maybe even move in with her and the baby. Happy thoughts of Mulder and their baby filled her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

The change in the hum of the engine and the uneven road roused Skinner. He sat up and was surprised to see daylight. He looked at his watch, not quite 6:00am. He'd been asleep for nearly 6 hours! He couldn't believe it; but the ache in his muscles convinced him.

Krycek had pulled off the highway into a rest stop area where some18-wheelers were parked and a few assorted other vehicles as well. He turned off the motor and stood up.

"Everything all right?" Skinner asked.

"Yeah. Just need to move around a little, take a piss. You had a good sleep." He made his way back to the rest room. He peeked in on Scully on the way out and found her sitting on the side of the bed.

"You get some rest?" he asked her.

"Yes, thanks. You're right. This bed is comfortable." She answered.

"Let's get some breakfast going. I'm starved." He said and started with the coffee pot.

Skinner folded up his blanket and put it and the pillow back in the compartment. He took his turn in the bathroom after Scully. When he came out, Scully was sitting in the small dinette drinking a small container of orange juice and eating some cereal.

"What are you hungry for?" Krycek asked him, sipping some orange juice and eating some toast. "You want a big breakfast? We got everything we need. There's eggs, ham, potatoes, fruit; or I could whip up some pan cakes if you'd like?"

"I'll just take some toast and coffee, maybe a piece of fruit."

In another 30 minutes they were back on the road with Skinner driving, Scully in the co-pilot's seat and Krycek stretched out on the couch sound asleep. The drive was uneventful, and in five hours, Krycek woke up; stretched and asked where they were.

"Where are we? We should be pretty close to St. Paul by now."

"We just passed a sign saying 18 miles to St. Paul." Scully answered him.

"Good. Pick out a rest stop and we'll have some lunch before we have to tackle driving through the city." He made his way back to the rest room and came out just as Skinner was pulling off the highway and into a rest stop.

He began pulling ready-made sandwiches out of the fridge and tossing them on to the table. "We have chicken salad, roast beef, turkey, tuna fish and egg salad. There's also soup or some canned stuff in here too." He dug around in the pantry. "There's beef stew, chicken and dumplings, and a bunch of those little micro-waveable dinners."

They each selected a sandwich and some bottled water. They ate quickly and were anxious to get back on the road.

"We've been making good time. We've only got another 500 miles or so to go. We should get there by about 8:00 or 9:00 this evening." Krycek said taking the driver's seat again, while Skinner sat co-pilot.

Scully sat up with them for a while then decided to nap some more so she would be rested by the time they got there. At five months pregnant, napping had become a favorite pass time for her.

They drove in silence for a while when Krycek noticed Skinner was no longer staring at the road and was staring at him instead.

"What?" he asked.

"I didn't say anything?"

"You've been staring at me for a while now; thought you might have a question."

"Just trying to figure out what's in this for you, why you're doing this?"

"Walter, I'm not the demon you all think I am; trust me on that one." The use of Skinner's first name slipped out and did not go unnoticed by either of them.

Skinner decided to ignore it and asked him, "Why should I trust you after all you've done?"

"Because I haven't done half of what you think I have."

"Half would be enough."

"Enough to….hate me? Distrust me?"

"Both."

"One of these days…." His voice trailed off as he stared out the front wind shield.

"You really think we have a chance in hell of finding Mulder?"

"I don't know. Right now, it's the only thing I could think of. Scully is in her fifth month now and she needs him here with her. She shouldn't have to go through this alone and that baby needs its father."

"Why is this so important to you?" Skinner asked still not believing Krycek had nothing to gain by helping them.

"It just is, Skinner. I know what it's like growing up without a father. If I can get those two back together again, so much the better."

"The old man doesn't know what you're doing?"

"No. He's in Hong Kong for a couple of weeks. I knew he was going and figured this would be the perfect time to see if we can find out anything. I laid the ground work with the old man; told him I was going to Florida to shack up with some Flight Attendant I'd met. Rented a room down there, bought a plane ticket and had someone get on that flight that vaguely resembled me. As far as anyone knows, I'm basking in the Florida sun and getting laid."

"That's what I'd like to be doing right about now instead of heading off on this wild goose chase." Skinner mumbled.

"It may turn out to be just that; but at the very worse, we've had a little road trip together; burned up a little time. And at best, well, we might just find out where he is or where he isn't; or maybe where to look, or who has him. Anything at all would be a help."

"You're right about that. Our leads so far have been slim to none. The Bureau's just been chasing their tails, investigating everyone who ever knew Mulder, looking for some non-existant motive for a kidnapping."

"You saw it though. You know what happened."

"I saw a light; some kind of vehicle that I'd never seen before. I don't know what happened." Skinner corrected him.

"You know enough to know it wasn't any ordinary kidnapping."

"Yes, I admit that."

Silence again for a time then Skinner spoke again.

"Exactly what is it that we're going to see when we get to this silo? Can you describe these aliens?"

"They're Oileans. You've heard Mulder talk about them before."

"Christ! You mean we're driving all this way to talk to a puddle of oil?" Skinner asked with disgust.

"A puddle of oil with more intelligence than all our greatest geniuses combined." Krycek added.

"How did you get involved with them?"

"Remember the Piper Maru?"

"Yeah, that French ship where all those men died from radiation poisoning."

"Yeah. They brought one of them up from the bottom of the Atlantic. Somehow, I don't know how, they were in contact with the old man. He wanted some information that I had. I was laying low in Hong Kong. I'd been sick with the flu and decided to just wait it out over there. Mulder found me and was bringing me back. Somehow the old man got the word. He sent the Oilean after me in a woman's body; the wife of a diver off that ship. I was in the rest room at the airport when it jumped from her into my body."

"Into your body?" Skinner sneered.

"I know this is hard for you to believe, Skinner, but I'm telling you that is what happened."

"Go on with your fairy tale." Skinner said, staring idly out the window, having the uneasy feeling that he was being caught up in one of Mulder's incredible schemes.

"It was inside me for several days. It had complete control over me; went right to my safety deposit box, took out the tape the old man wanted and drove right over to his place and gave it to him. In return for the tape, the old man gave it the location of its ship."

"Terma, North Dakota" Skinner finished the thought.

"That's right. We drove there and in silo 1013 we found the ship. Then it left me and went into the ship."

"Just like that?"

"Yes; just like that. It wasn't exactly easy. I vomited it out. It came out of my ears, my nose, my eyes and my throat. I was completely spent after it left. I don't know how long I lay there before I got up enough strength to stand up. When I tried the door, it was locked. The old man had followed me and locked me in there. I'd probably still be in there if it wasn't for those crazies who found me on a salvage hunt."

"And you think this Oilean is still there? You think you can communicate with it?"

"Not the one that was in me."

"There's more than one?" Skinner asked, caught up now in this tale.

"Yeah, several, I think. It's like….they're a family. After I had been locked in there for a few days, one came out. I was sitting on the floor against the far wall; as far away from the ship as I could get. It came right over to me. I was too weak to do anything and besides where would I have run? It came up and attached itself to my leg. I just sat there and watched it hoping it would at least get me out of that place. It made no attempt to enter me; just sat there for a while and I began sensing its thoughts. It was asking me why I was still there, way I didn't leave. I remember laughing at it; telling it I was locked in and couldn't get out. In an instant a bolt of energy shot from it and the door to the silo swung open. It sent me more thoughts then. Thoughts of gratitude for bringing its "little one" as it referred to the other one, home to them, that their family was complete now."

"You think going back there you can communicate with them? You think they have Mulder?"

"I don't know. No, I don't think they have Mulder; I 'm hoping that they know who does. One thing I did absorb from them was that they are extremely intelligent, and extremely old. I thought if they were still there, I might be able to communicate with them again; ask them if they know anything about Mulder."

"It's a long shot." Skinner warned.

"I know it. But it's our only shot that I can see."

"So that's how you got out of there?"

"That's how I got out of that particular room in the silo. I was too week to climb eight flights of stairs. I got up a few floors and ran into those salvagers and hooked up with them for a time, till I got my strength back and decided what to do."

"That's when you started sending Mulder those receipts?" Skinner asked.

"Uh huh. Those idiots were planning on bombing some sports arenas around the country. I couldn't let them get away with that."

Skinner stared at him for a moment then diverted his attention out the front window. His thoughts were running circles in his brain. What was he doing here with Alex Krycek and why was he beginning to half-way trust this man? He couldn't make sense of any of it but right now they had no other leads to follow and if this crazy scheme worked, they might at least come away with some useful information. He'd settle for that.

By 5:00 pm they had driven another 300 miles and were closing in on Bismarck, North Dakota. Krycek pulled the motor home off the highway, into a rest stop.

"I'm hungry." Was all he said as he got up and went back to the bathroom. Skinner went back and checked on Scully. She was rousing from a nap and got up, fingering her hair back into place.

In minutes they were eating steaming hot dinners from the microwave and Scully was asking, "How much longer?"

"We have another 200 miles to go. About another three and a half hours." Krycek answered, putting their dinner supplies away. "How are you feeling, Scully? Are you getting enough rest?"

"I'm fine. I just want to get there and see if they know anything." She answered.

"Agreed" Skinner added, "Why don't I take the wheel for a while?"

"OK. I could use a couple hours rest. Go ahead. I'm going to lie down for a while. If I go to sleep, be sure and wake me before we get to Terma. I want to drive from there on."

"You got it." Skinner took the wheel and Scully sat co-pilot.

Three hours later they passed a sign saying, Terma 12 miles. Skinner pulled off the highway into another rest stop. Krycek sat up immediately as soon as the feel of the road became different. He was wide awake and standing when they came to a stop.

"Sign back there said 12 miles to Terma." Skinner explained.

"Good." Krycek said then made a quick bathroom stop, grabbed a bottle of water and shoved it in his pocket and took the wheel. Skinner and Scully made bathroom stops too and were settling nervously as they got back on to the highway.

Krycek took side roads, just before the city limits and drove around and off to the west of the city. About five miles out they saw the beginning of some large fenced-in facility bearing "DO NOT ENTER – GOVERNMENT PROPERTY – NO TRESPASSING" signs all along the way.

Krycek slowed to a stop at a back gate, pulled out his cell phone and punched in some numbers. They waited in the darkness; tension building by the minute.

He spoke a few sentences in Russian and the gate swung open. They drove through and the gate closed behind them.

"That easy?" Skinner asked, wondering about all the security procedures the government had and with two sentences, a gate to one of their top security facility would just swing open. No security guards, no papers to show, no questions asked. He wondered what Krycek said and wished he'd paid more attention when his grandmother had tried to teach him Russian.

Krycek drove through the rows of silos and stopped when he came to #1013. He turned to Skinner and said, "You have to promise me again, you will not leave me down there!"

"You have my word." Skinner said standing practically nose to nose with Krycek. Krycek held out his hand and Skinner shook it.

"I'll take your word, Walter. I know it's good." They stared into each others eyes for a moment then Krycek was out the door; Skinner and Scully at his heels.

Krycek fiddled with the door for a moment and it opened in his hand. "It's eight flights down and there's no elevator. Scully you'd better stay here."

"I'm coming with you!" Scully insisted.

"You're staying here or in the bus. You're not climbing down eight flights of stairs!" Skinner was adamant.

"OK. OK. I'll wait here. I have my phone on me if you need me." She checked her gun and scanned the outside area for any sign that they had been noticed. All was quiet but the thump, thump, thump of their footsteps going down the metal stairs. Soon that faded away to nothing.

They stopped in front of a door marked 1013 and for the first time Skinner saw fear in Krycek's eyes.

"You all right?" Skinner asked him.

"Yeah, just PROMISE me, you won't leave me in there!"

"I promise."

Krycek opened the door and stood a moment waiting for his eyes to get accustomed to the dim light. "Stay here." He turned and whispered to Skinner, "Listen; one more thing; this beam of energy that they have; if it hits you, you're done for. So if they decide to use it on me, don't look back. Just take off; get the hell out of here and get Scully back to safety."

"Agreed." Walter said, apprehension growing by the minute.

Krycek took a deep breath, let it out and walked to the ship. Skinner squinted into the darkened room. He could make out the form of the wedge shaped ship in the far side of the room. It was a lot smaller than he imagined, only about 10 or 12 feet across. He was sure of one thing, Mulder was not in there.

He watched as Krycek climbed up on top of the ship, got down on his hands and knees and stayed that way for several minutes. Skinner took a few steps closer so he could see what was going on. The small room was lit only by what ever star and moon light came in through the opening at the top of the silo, eight floors above.

He heard Krycek gasp then shudder and saw what looked like oil oozing out of the top of the ship. It crawled slowly up Krycek's arms, shoulders and covered his face. The very sight of it horrified Skinner; made his skin crawl. It gave him a new respect for Krycek that surprised him.

Krycek stood ram-rod straight and jumped down off the craft and walked over to Skinner.

He couldn't help the shiver of fear that passed over him. Krycek stood for a moment staring at him. There was something different about him, Skinner noticed. His eyes; there was no white to them at all, they were solid black. He blinked a few minutes and they seemed to clear.

"You are looking for a man known as Fox Mulder?" he asked, the voice was the same but there was something different about it; the cadence to it, the way the words were pronounced. He might not have noticed it before but after having spent the last day with him, in close conversation, he could tell the difference. This was Krycek, only not entirely Krycek.

"Yes, yes." Skinner stuttered his answer. "Do you know where we can find him?"

Krycek walked past him and started up the steps; Skinner followed. "Wait a minute? Do you know where he is? Can't you just tell us?"

Krycek proceeded up all eight flights of stairs with Skinner right on his tail still asking questions. They came to the top to find Scully nervously waiting them, gun drawn, waiting for any signs of danger.

"Now just a minute here," Skinner grabbed on Krycek's arm and stopped him. Krycek whirled on him, "Don't touch me." He gave Skinner a warning glare.

"I'm sorry," Skinner apologized. "Look, we don't need you to go with us; we just need the location from you. We can go get him ourselves."

Krycek turned, went to the motor home and went inside, sitting down in the driver's seat. Scully and Skinner barely got inside and closed the door before the bus was in gear and taking off.

"What's going on? Did he find out anything?" Scully was asking. Skinner saw to it she was safely seated then said in a low voice. "It's inside him. That ….Oilean thing." He went on up front and sat in the co-pilot's seat and strapped in.

Krycek took the bus straight back to the highway, put the speed at 65 and stayed that way.

Skinner finally broke the silence. "Can I talk to you?"

"You're talking."

"Where are we going? Are you taking us to Mulder?"

"I'm taking you to those who have him."

"May I ask where that is?"

"Nevada. Area 51"

"NEVADA? You DO remember that we have a pregnant woman along with us. That's got to be at least another 1000 miles from here!"

"She can get out here if that would please you."

"NO! I'm going!" Scully said from the couch. "I'm fine, Sir. If Mulder is in Nevada, then that's where I need to be."

They stopped at a gas station and Krycek got up without saying anything and went outside to fill up. Skinner talked Scully in to going to bed. It was late and it looked like they had another long ride ahead of them. He took a bottle of water out of the fridge and sat back down in the co-pilots seat, flipping through the map, to find a route to Nevada.

Krycek climbed back into the driver's seat and took off. He set the cruise control for 65 and sat there staring straight ahead.

It was nearly midnight and not a word had been spoken since they had stopped for gas when Skinner finally spoke. "Would you like me to drive for a while?" he offered.

"That is not necessary. I do not tire. My host has suitable strength to get us there."

"Can you tell me who has Mulder? Why they took him?"

"It is a race that we call 'the changers'. They like to meddle in things they shouldn't. They take humans and alter them, for their own entertainment. They are considered the scum of the quadrant; this area of the universe."

"They took him for entertainment?"

"They take beings and change them from what they were; to whatever they want them to be; experimentation. There is no value to their so called research; it is simply something they enjoy doing."

"You think you can get him back? Will he be changed?"

"This I do no know. He has most likely been taken by them. If he has been and he is still alive they will return him. There is always the possibility they may not have him. There are others here who could have taken him."

Skinner thought about that for a while; scrubbed his hand over his bald head and face. He let out a deep sigh and wondered if this cross-country odyssey would ever end.

"You are fatigued."

"I am. But if we can find Mulder, it will all be worth it."

"This Mulder; he is part of your family?"

"No; he's a close friend; a co-worker. The father of that baby she's carrying." He nodded towards the back where Scully was resting.

"I see; and my host; where does he fit in? He is part of your family?"

"No. We worked together a long time ago. Now he is trying to help us find Mulder."

They sat in silence for another hour before Krycek spoke. "May I ask a question?"

"Sure." Skinner was surprised. He thought this creature knew everything.

"My host; why does he have a plastic arm instead of two arms of flesh?"

"Can't you ask him that?" Skinner was curious about just how much communication was going on between Krycek and this Oilean.

"I have but he does not wish to discuss it; it is a painful memory for him."

"All I know about it is that he lost it a few years ago in Russia. Some assignment he was on with Mulder."

"Mulder has a plastic arm too?" 

"No; Mulder made it out in one piece. Krycek wasn't that lucky."

"Why has he not replaced it? Does he prefer the plastic one? It is not nearly as useful as a flesh arm and it is still very painful to him."

"Limb replacement is not yet something that we have the ability to do. Can you replace it for him?"

"My host is becoming very uncomfortable with this conversation. I will end it now."

He drove on in silence for another few hours. Skinner stood up and started for the back,

"Are you sure you don't want me to spell you? Can I get you anything, a sandwich, something to drink?"

"No, thank you. I can not tolerate your food. A sip or two of water a few times a day is all I can ingest. I do not tire; I will drive straight through."

Skinner made his way to the restroom, checked on Scully who was fast asleep and came back to the couch. He pulled out the blanket and pillow and lay down. He couldn't believe it. He was being driven through the night by an alien, heading to another restricted location, looking for a lost agent. He began feeling like Alice, having fallen down that hole and looking for the rabbit!

The next thing he knew the sun was shining in his eyes and he smelled coffee. He sat up and turned to see Scully standing in the kitchen area, swallowing her pill with some orange juice.

"Morning," He said and stood up. He folded his blanket and put it and the pillow up in the overhead compartment. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. You think he's going to stop some time soon or just drive straight through?"

"He said he was going to drive straight through. Come over here and sit down." He helped her to a seat at the dinette.

"Did you get to talk to him last night? Did you find anything out?" she asked.

"Very little," Skinner answered, pouring himself a cup of coffee and joining her at the dinette. "The only thing I got out of him was that a race he called 'The Changers' had Mulder. At least, he thinks that's the ones who have him."

"That's all you got out of him?"

"That and the fact that his kind, the Oileans, don't eat, can't tolerate our food; only a few sips of water now and then for their host's sake. Oh, and that they don't tire."

"Well that's obvious; but how long can a host go without eating?"

"You're the doctor; you'd know the answer to that better than I would."

"I would think, at most, several days, by then they would be too weak to be of any use to these Oileans."

"Let's hope it doesn't take that long. At the rate we're traveling, we should get there by about 8:00 this evening."

"Did he say what they wanted with him? Why are they called 'The Changers'?"

Skinner stood up and started getting himself something to eat. "Have you eaten? Can I get you something?"

She looked at him suspiciously then said with a sigh and a look out the window at the passing landscape, "Just toss me one of those little boxes of cereal and a container of milk please."

He did as she asked; got some for himself as well and sat back down.

"You didn't answer my questions." She reminded him.

"He said 'The Changes' were considered the scum of the quadrant; that they take humans to experiment on; to change them."

"Into what?" Scully quirked an eyebrow at him.

"He didn't say. He was beginning to get difficult to talk with and said he wanted to end the conversation so we stopped talking." He didn't want to be telling Scully these things but he knew she would know if he left anything out.

The rest of the day went about the same. Krycek driving, staring straight ahead; Skinner and Scully talking quietly on the couch or napping off and on. They ate their dinner as they had their lunch and breakfast, with the vibration of the road beneath them. Any further conversation with Krycek was discouraged with a negative nod.

It was a little after 8:00 when the bus left the highway and turned onto the dirt road. They followed it around to the backside of a high chain-link fence with signs along the way reading "Danger – High Voltage". They came to a gate and stopped. A guard came out to speak with them.

Krycek lowered the window and said a few words they couldn't hear. The guard looked frightened then took a few steps back and sat down on the ground beside his guard post, staring straight ahead, rifle held at the ready.

Krycek raised the window and drove on in. He drove for several minutes over the barren landscape until they came to a small cluster of buildings. He pulled to a stop outside of the largest one, stood up and got out. Skinner and Scully followed him.

"Maybe you should stay in here." Skinner said to Scully.

"You're not leaving me here. I'm going!"

The three of them walked up to the door, two men stepped out in front of them. A bolt of power shot from Krycek's eyes and they both fell to the ground. Scully jumped and Skinner put an arm around her shoulders to steady her. They walked on inside. Two more men stepped in front of them; Krycek waved an arm and they were flung across the room and laid there in a heap, unconscious.

The man sitting behind the desk stood up nervously and said, "Welcome, my friends. What can I do for you this evening?" Sweat beaded on his forehead and his eyes twitched; he was clearly frightened.

"You have taken someone who belongs to these people. We want him back; right now!"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." The man tried to bluff.

"He is called Fox Mulder. Produce him immediately or I will level this whole complex with you in it." Krycek said, glaring at the man.

"Aahh. I will see if he can be located but the name is not familiar to me."

"Find him!" Krycek growled.

The man took a small rectangular instrument out of his desk and began jabbing at it with his finger. It gave off little beeps now and then.

"It is possible that one of my colleagues man know something of his whereabouts." He said to Krycek; wiping the sweat off his brow with a white handkerchief. Something in his instrument made him pale; he turned to Krycek and said, "I had nothing at all to do with this, if my associates harmed your friend in any way, it is on them; not me."

"Bring him here; NOW!" Krycek ordered.

The man jabbed franticly at the instrument in the palm of his hand. "I had nothing to do with this. You will let the others know that I co operated fully with your request."

Krycek stared at the man and waited. They all waited and in about five minutes a great white glow filled the room; there was a slight buzzing sound. They shielded their eyes from the glare and when it disappeared, Mulder was lying on the floor, naked and unconscious.

Scully ran to him and checked his pulse. "He's still alive, help me." She was trying to sit him up.

"I'll take him, Scully." Skinner hefted Mulder up over his shoulder and headed out the door.

"You will tell them that I co operated; I didn't give you any trouble at all and I am in no way responsible for your friend's condition?" the man called after them as they departed.

They climbed into the bus, Skinner carrying Mulder back to the bed and Krycek going immediately to the driver's seat and setting the bus in motion.

Scully began checking him over with Skinner hovering close by. "What's wrong with him, can you tell?"

"He should be in a hospital; I don't know what's wrong with him; he's unconscious, his vitals are all low. I don't know what to do."

"Stay with him. I'll see if our friend up front knows anything." He made his way back up front just as the bus was pulling out onto the highway. The going was much smoother now and he sat down in the co-pilot's seat.

"He's in bad shape. She doesn't know what to do. Do you know what's wrong with him, how we should treat him?"

"No I don't but I'm taking you to someone who does."

"We're going somewhere else? Where? Who is this person? Is he a doctor?"

"He is a healer. You know of him. Jeremiah Smith."

"I've heard of him. You know where he is?"

"Yes. About 200 miles east of here in a place called Kaibab National Forest in Northern Arizona. We should be there in about 3 hours."

Skinner hurried back to the bedroom area. Scully had covered Mulder and was sitting beside him, holding his head in her lap, crooning something to him as she smoothed down his hair. The scene brought a pang of jealousy to his heart. He was a lonely man and had been for far too long. He was going to have to do something about that.

"Scully?" he sat down on the foot of the bed. "He's taking us to Jeremiah Smith, the healer."

A look of sheer hope sparked in her eyes, "Is he around here someplace close by?"

"Not that close. He's in Arizona. About a 3 hour drive. Can he make it that long?"

"I hope so." She continued petting him and Skinner decided it was best to leave them alone.

"I'll be up front of you need anything." He said and returned to sit next to Krycek.

"Is he still living?" Krycek asked not taking his eyes off the road.

"Yeah, just barely. It looks like they really did a number on him. You think this Jeremiah Smith can fix him up?"

"I have seen his work. It is possible if he is not too far gone."

"Then all we can do is pray that we make it in time." Skinner sighed and stared out into the darkness.

"Indeed," was all Krycek had to say.

They traveled the rest of the way in silence, Skinner checking on Scully and Mulder from time to time. Soon they were driving on narrower roads through the forest. Krycek slowed the vehicle down and took a turn off to the left onto a dirt road. A man was standing at the gate when they arrived. Krycek stared at him a minute and he opened the gate for them to enter.

They drove up to a small building and stopped. Jeremiah Smith's assistant was waiting for them. He stepped back into the building and came out with Jeremiah following behind him.

Krycek opened the door and they came in and went into the back. Skinner followed and watched from the hallway as Smith bent over Mulder and placed one hand on his head the other on his chest above his heart. Nothing seemed to be happening at first then Skinner noticed a strange noise, like electricity snapping. Smith gasped and started to fall but his assistant steadied him; helped him to sit on the side of the bed the contact with Mulder was never broken. They stayed that way for about 10 minutes then Smith drew away and with the help of his assistant stood to leave.

"I've done all I can for him. He will be somewhat confused when he wakes up but his body is healed now."

They stood and watched Mulder as the changes in his appearance slowly took place. The dark circles around his eyes lightened, the bruising and tears on his cheeks were healing right before their eyes. Slowly, as if waking from a long sleep, he began to move, to rouse. His eyelids fluttered and his hand went to his face; the discoloration was fading and the wounds closing. His eyes opened, blinked a few times and looked around.

"Mulder? Mulder?" Scully cried as tears streamed down her cheeks.

The rest of them went down the hall way and out the door.

"He's all right? He's healed?" Skinner asked incredulously.

"He'll be confused for a bit but I think he'll be fine. He had a bit of brain damage but I got that straightened out. He'll probably have a heck of a head ache, and he looks like he hasn't eaten much of anything in a while. You need to get some food into him and just let him rest."

"I don't know how to thank you." Skinner was at a loss for words which was unusual for the AD.

"It isn't necessary; it's all part of my job."

"What exactly is your job?" Skinner asked.

"I'm here to help straighten out the harm others have caused." Smith smiled at him and went on into his cabin followed by his assistant and Krycek.

Skinner thought about it for a minute and decided he'd go back inside to Mulder and Scully instead. He went in and found Mulder sitting on the side of the bed. Scully sitting beside him, trying to explain what was happening.

"Sir?" Mulder said weakly. "Is all this true? Did Krycek find me?"

"Yes he did." He heard the door to the motor home open and close behind him and turned to see Krycek climbing back behind the wheel. He stared the engine and off they went.

Skinner saw to it that Mulder lay back down and Scully assured him she'd look after him so he went back up front.

"You did it, Krycek. You got him back." Skinner was amazed.

"My host tells me that you know how to operate this vehicle. His body is in need of rest but we must keep going."

"Yes, I can drive it. No problem." Skinner assured him.

"I will turn operation of the vehicle over to you as soon as we get to the highway. You must keep on going. Stay on highway 15 until you come to 70 east. Stay on that until you get to Denver. That's approximately 500 miles. Can you drive that far? By then I should be awake. If not, you must wake me. I will drive the rest of the way."

"Yes, I can drive that far but I might have to stop once or twice along the way to stretch and use the rest room; get something to eat."

He pulled over just past the sign that said "Interstate highway 15 junction ahead."

Skinner went to the back to tell Scully what he was doing and to keep her cell phone handy. He would call her if he needed to talk with her. He made a quick bathroom stop, grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of water from the fridge and went to the driver's seat. Krycek was stretched out on the couch, pillow under his head and appeared to be fast asleep.

In another moment they were going again and taking the on ramp to the highway.

He drove for five hours straight, keeping at regulated highway speeds, not daring to get pulled over for speeding. That was a risk he couldn't take, not with Mulder still being so confused and an alien on board.

Traffic was light and he had no problem following the route. He pulled off the highway, into a rest area and stood up and stretched. A quick look showed Krycek still asleep so he made his way back to check on Mulder and Scully.

"He's asleep." She said as Skinner poked his head in. "It's a miracle, isn't it? Did you ever really believe that Krycek could get him back? I didn't."

"I'm glad he's sleeping. Krycek is too. You need anything while we're stopped? We have to get going again in just a minute."

"You can stop long enough to get a bite to eat, can't you?" She slid carefully out from under Mulder's grasp.

"Ten minutes is all. I promised him I'd keep going." They walked into the kitchen area and took out sandwiches and sat down at the dinette.

"To answer your question, no, I didn't think Krycek could really find him for us. I just went along with it to see what he was up to."

"Me too," Scully admitted between bites.

"Smith said Mulder would be all right, he just needed some food and some rest; said he'd have a head ache and maybe be confused a few days."

"You know, I never really believed in all this; Oilean stuff. Did you actually see some oil go into Krycek?"

"I did. I saw a ship too; a vehicle of some kind; wedge shaped."

"So I guess it's all true, all the stories we've heard all these years about UFOs."

"I doubt all the stories we've heard are true but we have to admit now, at least to ourselves, that some of them probably were true." Skinner finished his sandwich and took a long drink of water. "We better get back on the road."

Scully made her way back to the bedroom and Skinner went up to the front, stopping to watch a sleeping Krycek. He looked so peaceful lying there, so innocent. Skinner caught himself then; innocent and Alex Krycek didn't belong in the same sentence. He keyed the ignition and they were back on the road again.

He did have to admit that Krycek had conducted himself honorably during their trek. He kept his word, he got in touch with the alien and he did find Mulder. A tiny seed of respect was beginning to raise its head and Skinner shook it off. He still couldn't believe that Krycek was doing this out of the goodness of his heart.

Two and a half hours drive and they were in the outskirts of Denver. He pulled the bus into a rest stop and turned to find Krycek standing there.

"Outskirts of Denver," he said standing up and letting Krycek move into the driver's seat.

"Good" was all Krycek said and pulled back out onto the highway.

Skinner checked Scully and Mulder and they both seemed to be sleeping. He came back up front and sat down next to Krycek.

"We should be home in another 8 hours. At least, I should." Krycek said.

"Then what happens?" Skinner asked.

"Then you and your friends go on your way and I can get back to my family. What you do after that is up to you."

Skinner sat for a while staring out the front window then decided he'd better lie down for a few hours. His head no sooner hit the pillow then he was asleep. The vibration of the engine, the quiet and the total exhaustion for the last few days had put him past being tired.

He woke up when Krycek pulled off the highway to gas up. He checked on Scully and Mulder. They were still sleeping. He warmed himself a quick container of soup and downed it while waiting for Krycek. The thought occurred to him that this must be costing him a fortune just for gas alone. He saw him paying for it with a credit card and wondered whose card it was; he hoped it wasn't stolen. He had just finished his soup and trashed the container when Krycek came back in. He went right to the driver's seat, started the engine and they were on the road again.

Skinner took his seat and said to Krycek, "This must be costing you a fortune for gas. Whatever it totals up to, I'll reimburse you when we get home. I do have credit cards with me. We could gas up next time on mine."

"That won't be necessary." Krycek stared out the window watching traffic carefully.

Skinner began thinking that he had 8 hours left to try and communicate with this Oilean. He should be asking questions.

"So where are you from? You just come here to visit or are you here on business?" That sounded dumb even to him.

"I am from a planet in another solar system. We are called "The Travelers". We travel to different worlds and teach others who come after us what life is like on each world. Many of us have never been to our home world. Most are born on foreign soil and will probably cease to exist on foreign soil. We travel; we teach. It is what we do."

"Why did you help us?"

"My host, the one you call Krycek, brought one of our lost back to us. It was a debt of honor we are glad for the opportunity to repay."

"Is he here now? Can he speak to me?"

"He is here. He can hear you but he cannot speak while he is hosting me."

"Can you tell him I am grateful for what he's done?"

"He knows. He knows you very well. He cares for you very much. He cares for all three but you are special to him."

"Special? How?" Skinner asked. This was just too weird. He was talking to Krycek but not to Krycek; an alien in Krycek's body.

"This I do not understand. I would guess it is in a family way. Like one cares for certain members of their family."

"I see." But he didn't see. He had no idea what this alien was saying. He was clearly mistaken. Krycek certainly had no feelings for him at all, let alone special feelings. This alien may be very old and very smart but there were some things he didn't know.

It was nearly 3:30 by the time they arrived back in Terma and headed out to the silos. Skinner was tired; tired of all this weirdness, tired of being cooped up in this motor home, tired of sleeping on the couch and tired of eating food out of packages. He wanted a good meal in a nice restaurant and a good night's sleep in his own bed.

The gate swung open as they approached and they drove right on in. In minutes they were parked and getting out; Scully came out of the back room to join them.

"Stay here with Mulder. This shouldn't take long."

"OK. I got my cell right here. Call me if you need me."

Krycek opened the door and started down the stairs; Skinner following close behind. As before, they stopped right outside the door to silo room 1013. Krycek turned to Skinner and said, "My host is very nervous. He tells me you promised to take him home. I will exit him as easily as possible."

They went on in and Krycek climbed up on top of the ship and went down on all fours.

It started with a shudder at first, then his body began to tremble and convulse with retching. Over and over the spasms shook him as the black oil released itself from his body in running streams from the nose and ears and mouth. Skinner stood and watched in horror. He had seen people vomit before but nothing like this. This alien was tearing himself from Krycek's body as he knelt there shaking like a leaf between eruptions. Then it was all over. There was silence now and Krycek collapsed in a heap on top of the ship. Skinner came over to him then and saw the back oil converge into one large pool and ease itself through an unseen opening, back into the ship.

He tried to rouse Krycek but got only a weak moan in response. He pulled him to his feet and slung Krycek's one good arm over his shoulder and with an arm around his waist, headed for the door.

"Come on, Krycek, snap out of it. I can't carry you up eight flights of stairs." He was trying to rouse him but not having much luck. He started them up the stairs and the going was rough; the man was barely able to stand. They made it up the first flight of stairs and Skinner sat him down at the top. Krycek was half un-conscious, and Skinner fully understood now why he had been so insistent that Skinner promised to get him out of there.

Skinner took a quick drink of water out of the bottle he had stuck in his pocket and he remembered the bottle of water he had seen Krycek put in his pocket. He pulled it out and it was still sealed tight. He hadn't even had a drink of water in days! Skinner uncapped the bottle and held it to Krycek's mouth and poured some in. He poured a little on the top of Krycek's head and that roused him. He held the bottle to his mouth again and Krycek drank greedily.

"Come on, Krycek. Let's get the hell out of here." He hauled him to his feet once again and they started up the next flight. Krycek was a little more help now, carrying more of his weight on his own feet. They stopped at the top of each flight and rested for a moment and took another drink. By the time they got to the top they were both exhausted, but managed to stumble into the bus. Skinner deposited Krycek onto the couch, gave him a pillow and covered him with a blanket.

Scully was standing there wondering what to do.

"We're getting out of here, right now!" Skinner said and slid into the driver's seat and started the engine. In minutes they were out the gate and headed back towards the highway. He drove for about 70 miles until he saw a sign that said "State Park, camping, restaurants" he pulled off the highway taking the small two-lane road to the Park. In minutes they were pulling into a camping spot and parked. Skinner got out, did the hook-ups and came back inside. He pulled down all the shades and checked on everybody. Krycek seemed to be asleep. He checked in the back and Mulder and Scully were sitting side by side on the bed talking quietly.

"There's a little store over there," Skinner told them. "I'm going to walk over there and see if I can get us some real food. Do you need anything?"

"No, we're fine. How is Krycek?" Scully asked.

"He's sleeping. He needs food and water and sleep. I'm going to go stock up and I'll be right back. Stay alert." He said to Scully as he turned to go.

"I will." She called after him.

Twenty minutes later he was back with a double arm-load of groceries. He came in, dropped the groceries in the kitchen and checked on every one. They were all OK so he set about fixing dinner. While he worked Scully took the opportunity for a quick shower and change of clothes and came out refreshed and starving. Mulder didn't want to shower, didn't want to leave the bed room; he was still confused and a little frightened.

Krycek woke up as the steaks were sizzling in the broiler and filling the small space with an incredible aroma. He went in and showered and shaved and put on a fresh change of clothes. When he came out he went into the bedroom to see Mulder.

"There's some clothes in the drawers there; underwear, jeans, some shirts. Help yourself, Mulder. Shoes are in the closet there, they should probably fit." He felt awkward with Mulder staring at him and just gave him a weak smile and left the room.

Skinner had set the table for two; and fixed plates for Scully and Mulder and carried them back into the bedroom. He came back in and sat down across from Krycek to see him looking hungrily at the food but not touching it.

"Go ahead. Eat." Skinner told him and started cutting his own steak.

"They're not coming in here?"

"No. Mulder wants to eat in there."

"OK. He probably doesn't want to sit at the table with me. I can understand that." He started with his salad, and worked his way quickly through his baked potato and steak.

"This is really good, Walter. Where did you learn how to cook?" Krycek wiped his mouth with his napkin as he talked.

"I learned years ago. When I was a teenager my mother was in a car accident and was in a wheel chair for several months. She taught the three of us, my brother, my sister and me how to cook. She would sit there in her chair and tell us what to do. I loved it."

"That's good. Everyone should know how to cook. It's a basic need for survival. It should be taught in school right along with the A,B,C's." Krycek downed the last of his water then added. "Where are we, anyway?"

"We're only about 70 miles out of Terma. I saw the sign for this campground in a state park and pulled off the road. It said they had full hookups as well as a store. I was tired and hungry and needed to rest for a bit. We can head east whenever everyone is ready, or we can spend the night here. I know it's early but I'm beat; so are they," he said nodding in the direction of the bedroom, "and so are you. We could all use a good night's sleep."

"You're right about that. I could sleep for a week."

"Go ahead. I'm going to clean up here then try and get some sleep myself."

They carried their dishes to the sink and Skinner went into the bedroom to get Mulder and Scully's plates. Scully was finished with hers but Mulder was just picking at his and Scully was encouraging him to try and eat more.

"Maybe steak wasn't such a good idea for him. Maybe you'd rather have some soup or a sandwich?" There's some sandwiches in there; I picked more up."

"No thanks, I'm not hungry. I just want to sleep. Why can't we just go home, Scully?" Mulder said in a weak voice.

"We're going to stay the night here, if that's all right with you, Scully. Everyone is beat and I just need to get some rest before we head back. We all do."

"That's fine with me, Sir. It will be nice to sleep without the vibration for a change."

Krycek came in then and asked, "Is the Tylenol in here?"

"Yes," Scully answered and tossed him the bottle from the night stand.

"I just need a few." He uncapped the bottle and dropped a few into his hand; recapped the bottle and tossed it back to Scully. "You feeling better, Mulder? You look like shit!" he grinned.

"I may look like shit but you ARE shit!" Mulder came back at him.

"Glad to see you back." Krycek said and Skinner could see that he meant it. It was a odd moment for him. Strange feelings about Krycek had been nagging at him this entire ordeal. What was this man all about? Why would he be helping them like this? Could he really have no ulterior motive?

He went back into the kitchen and started washing the dishes. He stacked them in the rack to dry and watched Krycek pull down the overhead bunk, climb up and stretch out.

He wasn't the only one who was exhausted. He pulled out the sofa bed and retrieved his pillow and blanket. He turned the overhead lights out and lay down. It was just barely dark outside but they were all ready and eager for sleep. He lay there listening for a while, making sure everyone else was settled before he let himself drift off to sleep.

He snapped awake when he heard the moaning. He thought at first that Krycek was having a night mare; then the moaning got louder and Krycek was gasping and panting; a few curses too.

Skinner called up to him, "You alright Krycek?"

"Don't know. Something's happening. Oooohhhhh Shit! Turn the light on! Turn the light on!"

Skinner jumped up and fumbled with the switch but got the overhead lights on and to his horror Krycek's left arm, what there was of it, was covered in blood. Krycek was gripping it with his right hand and trying to sit up. He reached under his shirt and unhooked his prosthesis. He was groaning in pain.

Scully hurried into the front, "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Skinner answered, "He just woke up and he's bleeding. Did you bump it or something?"

"No, No. Something's wrong. Oooohhhh," he gasped in pain.

"Get him down here," she told Skinner. "Let me take a look."

Skinner reached up into the bunk and helped Krycek to swing his legs over the side and slide down. They sat on the sofa bed, Krycek in the middle. Skinner helped him off with the sweat shirt he'd been wearing. When the prosthesis was removed a pool of blood spilled out. Skinner wiped at it with the shirt as Scully looked at the arm.

"You sure you didn't bump it? Hurt it in some way?" She asked.

"No, I didn't bump it. Besides, it's been bumped before and nothing like this has ever happened. What's wrong with it?" He strained to see.

"It's opened up; looks like the bone is sticking out. The tissue around it is torn; raw looking."

Skinner took a closer look and grimaced. The scarred up stump had indeed been opened up and that was definitely bone sticking out about a half an inch.

Scully got down the first-aid kit and brought back a wet cloth. She dabbed at it and got it clean. The blood flow had slowed to a seeping wound. She dressed it as best she could with their limited supplies. Skinner took the prosthesis into the bathroom and rinsed it off. He checked out the inside to see if anything there could have caused the wound. It was smooth and soft, no sharp edges anywhere. He wiped it dry and brought it back in.

"What's going on?" Mulder asked in a weak voice, standing in the kitchen area, leaning on the counter and looking over the group.

"Krycek's injured himself somehow." Scully said.

"Oh. Good. I thought it was something important." Mulder turned and went back into the bedroom area.

"Could you get me another shirt?" Krycek asked Skinner. "In there," he nodded towards the bedroom, "In the second drawer. Anything will do."

"Sure thing," Skinner answered, and went into the back room. He came out a minute later with another shirt and helped Krycek put it on.

"Thanks," Krycek said to Skinner, "and thank you too, Scully. Sorry I woke everybody up. Don't know how this could have happened." He apologized. He took his prosthesis and started to put it back on.

"I think it'd be best if you left that off for the time being; give that wound a chance to heal up a little; at least for the rest of the night." Scully said and headed for the bedroom.

"Maybe I will," Krycek said and started to climb back up to his bunk.

"Here, why don't you take the couch? It'll be a bit easier." Skinner said and pulled Krycek's pillow and blanket down and put his in the bunk instead.

"You don't have to do that, I can make it." Krycek said.

"There's no need for you to be climbing up and down there with a bad arm. I can do it just as easily." He stepped up on the end of the sofa bed, climbed up into the bunk and lay down. He lay on his side looking down at Krycek. He, too, had laid down and seemed to be relaxing some.

Skinner closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. He awoke a short time later to see Krycek sitting on the side of the sofa-bed holding his arm, obviously in pain.

"Arm bothering you again?" he asked.

"Yeah, it hurts something awful. I need some more Tylenol but I don't want to go in there.

"I'll get it." He slid down off the bunk. "Is it bleeding again? Do you want me to get Scully?"

"No, don't wake her up. It's just seeping a little; not like before."

"I'll get the Tylenol." Skinner said and went into the back and got the bottle off the nightstand without rousing either one sleeping there. He brought it to Krycek along with a bottle of water. He uncapped the water bottle and handed it to him, then shook three capsules out into the palm of his hand and handed them to him. Krycek took them down eagerly, and then started massaging the arm again.

"Turn around," Skinner said sitting down beside him. "I'm pretty good at this." He began massaging Krycek's shoulders. Krycek's head lolled back and a deep sigh escaped him. "Aaaahhhh. That feels so good. Thank you." He rolled his head from side to side and stretched his neck.

"Tension just adds to the pain of an injury, and we sure have been under a lot of tension the last few days. Those Tylenol should help relax you and maybe help with the pain."

"Yeah, thanks. It just feels so funny though; different than it's ever felt before. He fiddled with the bandage that Scully had put over it. It fell away on one side and they were both shocked by what they saw. The bone was sticking out further now; at least an inch or more.

"What the….It wasn't sticking that far out before, was it?" Skinner asked.

"No, it wasn't. I tell you, something….." He stopped talking and his eyes stared off at nothing.

"What?" Skinner demanded.

"The Oilean said something to me just before he left me; something about a gift. I thought he was talking about getting Mulder back for us. Maybe…."

"You think he did this? He somehow…..is making your arm grow back?" Skinner couldn't believe he was even thinking such a thing but in the last few days he had seen a lot of things he never thought possible.

"I don't know. I don't know what they're capable of. I do know he was curious about it."

"Well, if it works, you could have your arm back." Skinner tried to sound hopeful.

Krycek looked at him with such a look, it pained his heart; that sad afraid-to-hope look.

"That's not possible…..is it?"

"I don't know. I've seen a lot of things the last few days that I didn't think were possible. Maybe this is one of them."

"If the old man finds out, he'd know I was in contact with the aliens."

"I'm sure you can figure a way to keep him from finding out. It's February, just keep your jacket on and gloves. He might not notice."

"I could do that; at least for a while, then maybe…."

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe I can get myself out of this mess. I have until May…." Then he shut up, realizing he'd said too much.

"So what happens in May?" Skinner asked.

"This is strictly confidential, just between the two of us. In May, I'm retiring. It's all set."

"I didn't know anyone ever retired from the Consortium."

"Not them…just…oh hell…it's just three more months." He put his head down in his hand and rubbed it over his face.

"What are you talking about?" Skinner asked, not understanding a word he had just heard.

"I'm talking about the Bureau, Skinner." He waited for his words to sink in.

"You left the Bureau years ago."

"Not really."

Skinner stared at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You never did any checking up on me? Never had your friends check me out?"

"No, why should I? Your records are on file at the Bureau."

"Yeah, those. OK. I've been working with the Bureau for nearly 10 years now. As you know, any time spent undercover is double time pay and double time towards your retirement. In May I'll have my 10 years completed and I can retire with full benefits."

Skinner jumped to his feet; "You're telling me you've been under cover all this time?"

"That's about it. Cassidy recruited me years ago while I was still at the police academy. She said she had a special assignment that it would take maybe a year or two; gave me the big line about the double pay and all that crap. Once I was into it, she didn't want to bring me back in. It was the first time they had been able to get someone into the Consortium. She talked me into staying which I now regret. I decided to go ahead and stay the full 10 so I could get out once and for all and be done with it. I didn't want her coming up with any other special assignments for me."

"This is preposterous! No one's ever been undercover for that length of time!" Skinner was pacing the small area, to the kitchen and back, rubbing a nervous hand over his bald head.

"Never the less, it's true. I'm not supposed to tell anyone, in fact, I swore to her that I wouldn't but there's only 3 months to go. I never dreamed I'd make it this far but I'm so close now." He stopped at that grabbed at his arm and groaned. "Oooohhhh"

Skinner pulled the bandage back and looked and the bone was now sticking out a good three inches.

"It's definitely growing. I wonder how long it will take." Skinner said, trying to ease the bandage back on. "Is it bad?"

"Not as bad as before; the Tylenol must have kicked in. That Extra Strength Tylenol is pretty effective; at least on my system."

Skinner sat on the sofa bed beside him and stared at him. "My God! All this time? What about….." There were too many questions in his head trying to get out at once so nothing came out.

"I wanted to tell you. I begged Cassidy to let me tell at least one person. I needed someone to talk to. It's not easy knowing that everyone that you care about and admire all think you're scum; a murdering traitor; but she wouldn't let me. She made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. Now I've broken my word to her." He looked down at the floor, clearly disgusted with himself.

Skinner's AD mind swung into action. "Not necessarily. How much vacation time have you taken over the years? Do you have any coming? What about sick leave?"

"I haven't taken any; either vacations or sick leave; well, I was off three weeks when I lost my arm but they kept me busy with interpretations and other little busy stuff."

"You're supposed to get 30 days per year. It's accumulative. If you haven't taken it, you are allowed for it upon retirement. So technically, you already have your 10 years in. You can retire any time you want."

The impact of that statement stunned Krycek; his mouth dropped open. "I don't have to wait until May? I can quit now?"

"That's right. If everything else you just told me is true." He regretted saying that immediately when he saw the look on Krycek's face.

"Why would I lie to you about something that is so easy for you to check out?" His green eyes locked with Skinner's.

Skinner believed him. It was true. He had to know that Skinner would check with Cassidy. All he had to do was make a phone call. Krycek must have read his mind.

"Go ahead, call her," he said grasping his left shoulder again and massaging it, his face twisted in pain.

"Let's take a look at that." Skinner said.

Krycek unzipped the sweat shirt and pulled it down off his shoulder. The bone was now sticking out of his arm at least 6 or 7 inches.

"I think we should get Scully in here." Skinner said.

"No. Let her sleep. There's nothing she can do and she needs her sleep." Krycek insisted. He was shivering now, his teeth chattering.

"You're freezing. Lay back down." Skinner reached over him and pulled the blanket up around him.

"I think you're running a fever too." He laid his hand across Krycek's forehead.

"Doesn't matter. I already took Tylenol. That's all I have in the first-aid kit. I'll either work or it won't."

Skinner was at a loss for what to do. He thought about calling a friend of his who is a doctor and would keep things confidential but what would he tell him? That someone's arm is being re-generated and he's running a temperature? Not likely!

"I don't know what to do for you, Krycek. Do you have any suggestions?"

"No. It's not like I've ever done this before."

"No one has ever done this before." Skinner shook his head still not believing this was happening.

"You have fever, chills; it's like your body is trying to fight something off, like it's rejecting this." Skinner stood, went into the bathroom and came out with a damp rag. He placed it across Krycek's forehead.

"That feels good, thanks." Krycek's breathing was heavy and deep. He took the rag and ran it over his face then returned it to his forehead.

"See if you can sleep." Skinner said then lowered the lights and climbed back up into the bunk. "Call me if you need anything."

"I just want this over with. I want to get back to DC and turn in my resignation."

"We'll start back first thing in the morning." Skinner said resuming his position on his side, watching down over Krycek. Two or three times during the night he was wakened by Krycek's moaning but when he looked down, Krycek appeared to be sleeping so he didn't get up. He watched him each time until he fell asleep again.

Everything in his mind changed about Krycek. He had been undercover all these years! Different things seemed to be falling into place. The notes he and Scully had received. They had both been written on blue paper. Blue paper? What did that mean to him? The blue notes! All those, anonymous tips that came into his desk at the Bureau; they were all printed, block style, just like the notes he and Scully and gotten, and they were all on blue paper.

He remembered the nanobots; his mind was addled but he clearly remembered seeing Krycek in that hippie wig as he ran down that man that was shooting at him. Krycek had saved his life that night. He remembered seeing him at the hospital too. He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask him. He wondered how Mulder was going to take this news. His thoughts wandered and soon sleep overtook him.

"Skinner! Hey, Skinner!" Krycek called to the sleeping man.

Skinner's eyes popped open and he leaned up. "Yeah, you OK?"

"Look at my arm" he pulled the sweat shirt back off the shoulder for Skinner to see. He had a full length arm now, elbow and wrist and a knob at the end that showed signs of fingers starting. Muscles, tendons, veins were all there and at the very top where it all started a fine sheer layer of skin was beginning to cover it all.

Skinner blinked, trying to clear his vision. Surely he couldn't be seeing a real arm! He slid down off the bunk and sat beside Krycek.

"My God; it's really happening!"

"It seems to be. Even if it never works like the other one, at least I won't be that one-armed freak anymore!" He grinned at Skinner.

"You were never that, Alex."

Krycek stared at him. "That's the first time you ever called my by my first name."

"We've been through a lot the last few days. I think it's in order. If you'd rather I didn't?"

"No, no, that's fine. I like it." Krycek assured him. "You're beginning to believe some of this now?"

"Yeah, looks like I don't have any choice in the matter. I can't deny what I've seen; though you'll never read it in any reports." Then he stood and said, "I'll get some coffee going. You can have some more Tylenol if you want."

"No. I'll wait until I really need it. That stuff makes me sleepy."

Scully walked out then.

"Scully, we've got a lot to talk to you and Mulder about. Do you think he's well enough to come to the table? I'll get breakfast ready. What do you think would be best for him?"

"Pop Tarts," Krycek answered for her.

"That is his favorite. You knew that?" She asked Krycek.

"Uh huh. That's why I stocked up on them."

"What about you…Alex? What would you like to eat?"

"I'll just take one of those little boxes of cereal. I don't quite have my appetite back yet." He walked over and sat down at the table, keeping his arm inside his shirt and in his lap.

Mulder came out a few minutes later with Scully helping him. She sat him down opposite Krycek at the table and sat next to him. Skinner had the food on the table and joined them after filling four cups of steaming coffee.

"How are you feeling this morning, Mulder?" Skinner asked sitting down next to Krycek.

"Tired, sore. Head still hurts. Who took the Tylenol?" He glared at Krycek.

"It's right here." Skinner reached up on the counter and handed Mulder the bottle. "I need this." He said and pocketed the bottle.

Skinner started to say something but Krycek stopped him.

"It's OK. If I need more I can ask him."

"Get your own!" Mulder snapped and sipped his coffee.

Skinner had had enough. "That IS his own! So is the food you're eating and this bus you're sitting in. If it wasn't for Krycek, you'd still be back there with your alien friends!"

"If he got me out of there, then it's because he knew where I was being held. He's in this with them. If this is his food and his bus, we're all in danger!" He shoved the cereal away and glared across the table at Krycek.

"Mulder, don't. You don't know what you're talking about." Scully tried to soothe things.

"Look, Mulder, we all know you've been through an ordeal and we're willing to make allowances for that but you've got this all wrong. If you'll just listen to what Alex has to say, you might just learn a thing or two for a change."

"So now you're on HIS side? You're sticking up for 'ALEX'," he said with a sneer. He struggled to get up out of his chair but wasn't strong enough to scoot it back. Scully took his arm and held him there.

"You need to listen to what he has to say. It could be important," she insisted.

Skinner looked to Krycek with a go-ahead look.

Krycek looked down at his cereal and nodded his head. "This probably isn't a good time."

"All right, then I'll do it." The AD in Skinner took over. "First of all, you need to know that Krycek is not what we all thought he was. He's been working undercover for Cassidy from the beginning."

Mulder snorted out a laugh. "If you believe that, I've got some ocean-front property in Arizona I'd like to sell you."

"Why would he lie about something that would be so easy for us to check out? Another thing you need to know right now is that the reason you're sitting here alive is because Krycek put his own life at risk to save yours!"

"Yeah? Well did the old man tell you to come get me? Do you get a gold star for bringing me back alive? Or another fat check from the Consortium?" And to Skinner he added, "You know Krycek. If he did get me out, there's something in it for him!"

Skinner shook his head and looked at Krycek. "You may be right. Nothing seems to be getting through that thick head of his."

Krycek said nothing; just ate his food in silence.

"In case you're interested, Scully, that bone protrusion in Alex's arm has grown overnight to a full-sized arm."

"You're kidding! He just woke up and it was there?" She tried to see but he was keeping it in his lap.

"No. He had a rough night. A lot of pain and he ran a fever for a while."

"What did I tell you? I knew there had to be something in it for him!" Mulder sneered.

"Mulder, will you just shut up! You don't know what you're talking about." She was angry and frustrated and most of all tired. She just wanted to get Mulder home and then try and explain to him what had occurred.

"I want to go home. Can you get me to an airport?" Mulder said head down. He didn't like it when Scully talked to him like that.

"You're too weak to fly, Mulder. This motor home is really quite comfortable and we're heading back to DC this morning. You can sleep in the back. I'll stay with you."

Mulder tried once again to stand and this time Scully helped him. "I'll be right back," she said to Skinner and Krycek, "and I want to see that arm."

"That went about like I expected." Krycek rubbed his forehead.

"He's thick-headed all right but he'll come around when he's faced with the truth. He may not like it, but truth is his thing. He'll accept it in time." He stood and began clearing away the breakfast clutter.

"I don't care whether he does or not. As soon as we get back, I'll drop all of you off and I'm gone."

"Where will you go? Do you have plans, a place to go?" Skinner didn't like the idea of him disappearing. He had to think of something quick.

Scully came back into the room then and said, "I want to see that arm." She walked over to the table and Krycek unzipped his sweat shirt and slid his arm out, laying it on the table for her to inspect. The nub of a hand had grown larger now and small buds had appeared where fingers should be. The entire arm was covered now with a thin almost transparent layer of skin. He flexed it carefully.

"See. I even have an elbow!" He displayed it proudly.

"It's a miracle!" Skinner exclaimed.

"Indeed it is. What incredible science that could create this!" She lifted the arm and continued inspecting it. "No more bleeding, I take it?"

"No. Just a little seeping at first, then it sort of closed up around the bone."

"Amazing!" then she turned to Skinner. "We'll be leaving soon?"

"Yes; in a few minutes," he answered.

"Good. I gave Mulder some more Tylenol so he should sleep for a while." She handed the bottle over to Alex.

"Thanks. I'll just take a few and you can have it back in case he needs it." He uncapped the bottle with his mouth and shook four out onto the table. He re-capped the bottle and handed it back to her. He swallowed two and pocketed the other two.

She stared at him for a moment then asked, "Is it true? Have you been working for Cassidy all this time?"

"It's true." He assured her.

"I have a lot of questions; so will he," she nodded towards the back.

"Later." Krycek said and got up from the table and carried his coffee cup over to the counter where Skinner was washing them.

"Yes, of course; later. I'll be in the back then, if you need me." She went on back to Mulder.

Krycek headed for the bathroom while Skinner finished up the dishes. He was putting them away in the cupboard when Alex came out.

"You about ready to head home?" Skinner asked.

"Yeah. You know, I've been thinking. You've got more than 20 years in; why don't you pack it in; take off with me?"

Skinner stopped wiping the counter off and stared at him.

"I'm serious, Walter. How much longer you going to hang around doing a job you hate?"

"What makes you think I hate my job?" Walter leaned back against the counter.

"Come on. You really enjoy sitting behind that desk all day shuffling papers, reading reports, sitting in meetings? That's not you, Walter."

Skinner stared at him. The use of his first name was doing something strange to his brain and his lower regions. Something about the way Krycek was saying it; the way it sounded.

"What do you know about me?" His words were as scrambled as his thoughts.

Krycek stepped closer. "Come away with me. We'll find a place somewhere where no body can find us." Another step and he was right in front of Skinner. "You don't really want to go back to that office, do you? We can drop these two off in DC and just take off; go anywhere you want. The beach, the mountains, or the desert – anywhere you want."

Skinner reached out and touched Alex's cheek with his finger tips. "What makes you think I'd go off with you?" He asked barely above a whisper.

"I see it in your eyes. It was there the first day we met 8 years ago. A lot has changed in that time; but a lot has stayed the same." His voice was low and husky.

Skinner leaned down and brought their lips together for a short sweet kiss that surprised even him. "We'd better get on the road." He needed to put some space between them.

In a few minutes time, they unhooked the motor home, and were on their way. Skinner set the cruise control at 65 and headed south east.

They drove for a long time in silence then Alex spoke, "Are you thinking about it?" he asked with a grin.

"I'm thinking," was all Skinner would admit to. He sat staring out the front windshield, with just an occasional glance in Krycek's direction.

"No more meetings, no more reports, no more Kirsch. No more city traffic, no more being called out of your bed in the middle of the night to rescue one of your agents."

Krycek began listing all the reasons for Skinner to retire then added a few extra. "No more eating every meal alone, no more Sunday drives through the country alone, no more sleeping alone."

"You got this all figured out?" Skinner said more a statement than a question.

"I've been thinking about it for years now. I promised myself that when I retired, I was going to come see you; see if you were really interested or if it was just wishful thinking on my part.

"You're not exactly retired yet." Skinner really didn't know what else to say.

"I've been thinking about that too. When we stop for lunch, I'll call Cassidy. You could talk to her then too." Krycek added hopefully.

Skinner kept his eyes on the road but his mind was wandering towards the possibilities of no longer being employed. He knew his days at the Bureau were numbered and he was just waiting for some reason to leave. Was this it? Alex was right about a lot of things. He HAD always been interested, but never would have acted on it. First because Alex was an agent working under him and he never messed with someone at the Bureau, and then second, because he was convinced that Alex had gone bad. He should have checked Alex out further, made some inquiries, Cassidy should have told him. He shouldn't have been kept in the dark about something like this.

He knew his chances of going any further in his career at the Bureau were finished when he compromised himself by making that deal with Spender for Scully's cure. He couldn't bring himself to regret it though, since Scully was alive and well and by some miracle carrying a child.

He wondered what she'd think if she knew he was seriously contemplating going off with Krycek. He knew what Mulder would think. He'd have to make sure he didn't let it slip. Mulder didn't need one more reason to hate Krycek, and his condition right now was not conducive to rational thought.

He checked his watch; they had been on the road for nearly four hours. He was getting hungry and he imagined Scully must be too. He glanced over at Alex. "You hungry? I think we'd better stop. Scully needs to eat."

"You're right. There should be someplace along here soon." Krycek agreed looking somewhat uncomfortable.

"You alright?" Skinner asked, noticing Krycek cradling his new arm and staring out the window.

"Yeah. Tylenol's worn off. I'll take more with lunch. They hit me pretty hard on an empty stomach."

They were coming up to a little junction in the road so Skinner took the off ramp and drove into a gas station.

"I'll see what they have to eat inside. We're getting low on sandwiches." He climbed out of the driver's seat and went to the door. Scully met him there.

"Are we stopping for lunch?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm going to gas up and see what they have in the way of food inside."

"I just want some of this soup," she said opening the pantry. "I think that would be best for Mulder as well."

"Help yourself," Skinner said, pulling the baseball cap on over his bald head and going out the door.

Krycek sat on the couch and waited for Scully to vacate the kitchen area.

"How's the arm?" She asked while she was waiting for the micro wave to finish.

"Great. The skin seems to be thickening up and I have fingers now." He held his hand up for her to see.

"It's a true miracle," she said, taking the first container out of the micro wave and inserting the second.

"I'll talk to Mulder when he's feeling better; explain things." It was almost an apology.

"I'd appreciate that." Krycek said sincerely.

Scully's soup was warmed and she took them, along with two bottles of water, into the back area.

Ten minutes later Skinner came in carrying a fist full of plastic bags filled with groceries.

"For a tiny store, it was sure well stocked," he said unloading the groceries on the counter, more soup, stew, sandwiches, fresh fruit, and a large bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol.

"We'll keep this in here." He opened the container and sat in on the counter.

"Thanks. I think the worst is over. It's mostly just an ache now with occasional shooting pains down the arm." Krycek answered.

"Good. I still can't believe it." Skinner said taking a closer look as Alex's new hand. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I probably wouldn't believe it."

"Kind of like one of Mulder's X-Files?" Krycek grinned at him.

The grin affected Skinner a lot more than he wanted it to at the moment. He set about fixing lunch for them. Hot soup and sandwiches, with coffee he had bought inside so he wouldn't have to set up the coffee maker.

He sat down across from Krycek and ate. It was much nicer in the dinette area with just the two of them, not nearly as crowded. They sat staring at each other, enjoying the moment when Scully and Mulder decided to join them. They scooted over and Mulder sat down next to Skinner and Scully sat across from him, next to Krycek.

"There are more sandwiches in the fridge if you're still hungry," Skinner offered.

"No thanks," Mulder said. Scully took a banana and started eating it.

"I explained to Mulder what's been going on the last few days; all of it," Scully said.

The thought crossed Skinner's mind that there was no way she knew 'all' of it.

"You were with the Oileans?" Mulder asked Krycek.

"In the silo, yeah," Krycek answered draining the last of his soup from its container.

"And you got a new arm out of the deal?"

"There was no deal, Mulder. It just worked out that way." Krycek defended himself.

"So you say. Whatever. I got out of that place. That's all I care about." He sipped at his bottle of water. "Just don't expect me to believe that you're working for Cassidy. That's bullshit and you know it!"

Krycek turned to Scully sitting next to him. "Do you have your phone on you?" he asked.

"Yes," she handed it to him. He didn't take it.

"Call Cassidy. You know her private number?"

"Yes. The one we're not supposed to use unless extreme emergency?"

"That's the one. Call it and punch in your own security code; get her on the line and let me talk to her." He stared across the table at Mulder.

Scully punched in the numbers and waited, then said her name, badge number and security code numbers. "Director Cassidy? I have Alex Krycek here. He wants to speak to you." She handed Krycek the phone.

Alex took the phone, recited his badge number, security code, and then said, "Agent Krycek reporting in. Mission accomplished. We have Mulder and he seems well. We will arrive back in DC probably sometime late tomorrow." He paused and listened to the other end. "Another thing, Director Cassidy, I have decided not to wait until May for retirement. I understand that any untaken sick leave or vacation time can be used at the end so as of right now, I am officially retired." He waited for an answer. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "OK. As of tomorrow when I bring Mulder in, I'm retired. You'll have the papers ready for me to sign?" He waited for an answer. "I'm not waiting a week or 10 days. You have those papers ready for me to sign! I don't give a damn if you have to type them up yourself. No papers, no Mulder." He waited. "You'll hear from me tomorrow when we get into town." He clicked the phone shut and handed it back to Scully.

Skinner broke the tension with, "I have a feeling she'll have those papers ready for you to sign," A slight grin on his face as he looked across the table at Alex.

Mulder stared across the table at Krycek and was met with a glare in return. He got up and headed towards the back. Scully smiled her apology and followed him.

"I'm sorry," Alex said, "I should have let you talk with her."

"I have my phone. I can talk to her when I'm ready." Skinner said standing up and gathering the trash off the table. "That tank should be filled by now. I'll be right back and we can be on our way." Before he left, he took the bottle of Tylenol, opened it and sat it on the table in front of Alex.

"I'll be able to do that before long." Alex said with a little smile.

Walter nodded and went on outside. He unhooked the gas pump from the motor home and screwed the cap back on the tank. He returned the hose to its holder and sighed deeply; another long day ahead of him; and then what? What exactly did he want? Was he going back to work? Or was he going off with Krycek? He had a day to think it over; make the decision.

A quick stop in the restroom and they were back on the road again. The scenery along the way was beautiful. There was still plenty of snow on the ground and the highway curving through the tall trees looked for the world like a travel brochure, but he didn't notice. His mind kept circling one thing. Alex Krycek sitting just a few feet away, quietly staring out the windshield, lost in his own thoughts. Alex Krycek, the only agent to ever leave the Bureau while he was an AD; at least the only one to leave by going over to the other side. And now he knew that, that wasn't true. He hadn't defected. All those years undercover; how did he ever get through it?

Alex Krycek, the one agent that visited him often in his dreams. No matter how much he had hated Krycek over the years, there was no way he could banish him from his dreams.

Alex Krycek wanted him; wanted him to go away with him. Just like that. "Retire and go away with me." That crazy son of a bitch! Who does he think he is? He thinks he can just smile at me and I'll throw everything away and just take off with him? He turned and looked at Krycek. Krycek looked back and smiled.

Something inside of him melted then. He knew what he was going to do. His mind was made up. He pulled out his cell phone and punched in some numbers with his thumb.

"Assistant Director Walter Skinner, badge number. Security code number. Yes, good morning, Cassidy. I have decided to retire as of tomorrow. Please have my paperwork waiting along with Krycek's." He paused. "This is not up for discussion nor is it negotiable."

He paused again; "Tomorrow" he said adamantly. The phone clicked shut and he slipped it back into his pocket. He looked over at Krycek who was grinning at him.

"I've got more than enough time in."

"Exactly," Alex agreed.

They drove in silence for a while then Walter spoke, "So do you have a place or are you planning on just driving around in this thing from now on?"

"There's nothing wrong with this bus. It's quite nice really. Or at least it will be once we drop them off in DC." His smile showed something simmering beneath.

"Why me?" Skinner had to ask.

"Because you need me; you need me as much as I need you," Alex answered without hesitation.

Skinner thought about that a minute; chuckling at first, then admitting to himself that Alex was right. He did need somebody. He was tired of being alone. He needed someone to be with, someone he could talk to, someone who could understand. He never could talk about things with Sharon. Was Krycek what he needed? He couldn't deny the attraction was there; but would the two of them work out? There was no way of knowing that. He could always leave if it didn't. He wouldn't be making any life-long commitment by going off with him. It might be exactly what he needed. He looked over at Alex.

"I'm exactly what you need, Walter. I'll prove it to you tomorrow night. There's a campground just outside of DC. We can stay there for the night. You won't be disappointed; I promise you that."

The words sent a thrill down Walter's body from the flush in his face to the warmth in his groin. He drug his eyes away from Alex's green gaze and forced them back on the road.

Tomorrow night; tomorrow night; the words in Alex's husky whisper tingled in his ears. He couldn't wait! Tomorrow night!

Some time later Alex spoke again, "Look, Walter, fingernails!" He held up his new hand.

Walter couldn't believe his eyes. The hand was complete now; the only thing different from the real one was the new one was very light in color but it was pinking up some more than it was. The ghostly white appearance was gone now and simply looked like skin that hadn't seen the sun in a while.

"That's amazing," he said, letting his eyes lock with Alex's for a moment, and then quickly darting quickly back to the road. "Any more pain?" he asked.

"Just a little in my shoulder; the whole arm and hand feels kind of numb but at least there's feeling there." He ran his right hand lightly over his new arm and hand.

"That will probably go away in time," he offered.

"I hope so. Even if it doesn't, I'm satisfied. I never expected this."

"I know you didn't. You deserve it though." Walter smiled at him, knowing it was true.

Krycek smiled back; his heart warmed by Walter's words.

They stopped in a small town called Madison, Wisconsin for the evening. It was a little past six and Skinner's stomach was beginning to growl. Krycek was dozing in his seat, startled as the bus pulled off the highway.

"Campground ahead 2 miles," Skinner announced turning off onto the two lane side road.

"Stopping for the night?" Scully asked coming forward. "Good, I'm starving."

Skinner pulled into the state park campgrounds and found a spot. He got out and did the hook-ups and came back in. Mulder was sitting at the table; Krycek at the couch and Scully was fixing dinner. Skinner went into the bathroom and cleaned up. He came back out to see Scully placing a container of soup in front of Mulder and one for herself.

"Maybe the two of you need a little something more substantial than soup." He was digging around in the fridge. "I got some chicken at that last stop this afternoon. I thought I'd bake it; and fix some vegetables. Anyone interested?"

"Sounds delicious to me," Alex said as he made his way back to the restroom. No comments from Mulder and Scully who were talking quietly at the table.

Walter proceeded to rinse the chicken, put it in a baking dish, pour a can of soup over it, shake some herbs from a bottle, and put it in the oven. He started then on a salad of lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, bell pepper. He put some potatoes in the micro wave. Some bread, salad dressing, and fresh brewed coffee and in a short time they were feasting on a well balanced dinner.

Mulder just picked at his, Scully, Krycek and Skinner ate every bit of theirs.

"Sir, I had no idea you could cook." Scully said wiping her mouth with her napkin. "That was delicious."

"I learned years ago before I ever left home. Don't do all that much of it though," he answered fingering the handle on his coffee cup.

"I know what you mean. It's no fun cooking just for one." She answered wistfully and glancing over at Mulder. Mulder sat either staring at Krycek or down at his plate, shoving the food around with his fork.

"So, what are you planning on doing now that you're retiring, Krycek?" Mulder asked.

"I don't have any definite plans. That's the whole point of retiring, isn't it? Not to have to make any plans; just take each day as it comes?" Krycek answered.

"How did you know where to look for me?" Mulder met Krycek's eyes and held. He wanted an answer to that question.

"I didn't. I thought the Oileans might. The last time I hosted one it left me violently ill and weak for days afterwards. That's why I didn't want to try to contact them alone; and why I needed Skinner and Scully to go along."

"So you just walked up to the ship and knocked on the door?"

"Mulder!" Skinner started in on him but Krycek stopped him.

"It's OK. He wants to know; that's understandable. I knew they had a ship in that silo. I didn't know if it would still be there but I knew they spent 50+ years at the bottom of the Atlantic so I thought they might still be there. They seem to have no concept or concerns about time."

"I don't know how it's done or why, but somehow the old man was in touch with them. He made a deal with the one who came up with that French diver. He sent it to Hong Kong after me and it connected with me there. Once back in DC it took me right to my safety deposit box and got out the tape the old man was looking for and took it to him. In return, the old man gave it the location of its ship."

"Terma," Mulder said.

"That's right. We went right there and as it left my body, it left me a wreck. The old man must have followed us there because I could see him through the window, standing there smoking that cigarette of his. I tried to get out but the door was locked. He had locked me in and left me there to die."

"I don't know how long I sat there, getting weaker and weaker, when one of them came out of the ship and over to me. It didn't enter me, but stayed on my leg for a time and communicated with me. It asked why I didn't leave and I told him the door was locked. He zapped it with that power beam that they have and it came open. He also told me he was grateful for bringing the other one back to them then it left me and returned to the ship. I managed to crawl up two flights of stairs before I passed out. Next thing I knew, those salvagers were all around me, reviving me. They assumed that I was there for the same purpose they were; to see what could be salvaged. I went along with them until I could get back on my feet. By then, I figured out what they were planning and started sending you those receipts. I knew you'd figure it out and stop it."

"And you just assumed it would be happy to see you again?"

"I assumed nothing, Mulder. We had been searching for you for months and found nothing. The Bureau was chasing its tail getting no where. The one thing I did get from the Oileans was that they were extremely intelligent. I thought maybe it might know something; or at least give me a clue as to who had you."

"It just happened to know where I was," Mulder said sarcastically.

"It had a good idea who was taking humans. It knew where one base was, in Nevada. That's where we found you."

"And you made this dangerous liaison with the Oileans for what purpose? Who were you trying to impress?" He glanced over at Skinner; even ill Mulder's perceptions were right on target; maybe not correct, but close.

"Believe what you want, Mulder, you always do," Krycek shook his head and looked down at the bottle of water he was holding. He finished it off and said, "I'd like to get some sleep; I didn't get much last night and we still have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow."

Skinner got up and let Krycek out. He started clearing the table and Scully stopped him.

"I'll do that. I haven't helped out much here; it's my turn," she said taking the dishes from him.

"Thanks, Scully." He caught Krycek as he was coming out of the restroom. "How about a walk before we turn in. I think we both could use a little fresh air."

Krycek said nothing but took his jacket and knit hat from an overhead compartment and joined Walter who was heading out the door.

"It's a little chilly, but nice." Walter said as they took one of the trails along side their campsite.

"It is nice," Alex agreed, "and I did need some air."

They walked in silence for a while in the dusky evening; past other campsites where dinner was cooking and sending heavenly smell out all around.

"It does no good to argue with Mulder," Skinner said, "He is so smart about some things, and totally dense about other things. He's said nothing at all about Scully's pregnancy. I doubt he's even noticed."

"I know, I know; but sometimes you get to thinking, if you could just find the right words, you might be able to make him understand," Alex said.

"Mulder understands only what he wants to understand; nothing else penetrates into his little world." Walter explained.

"You think he'll ever change?" Alex asked.

"I hope so; for Scully's sake and the baby's."

They came upon a bench in a deserted area on the far side of the park and sat down.

"This is nice." Alex said, rubbing his new elbow.

"Arm hurt?"

"Nah, just kind of numb feeling. It's so good just to have an arm again. It feels strange; I'm so used to the plastic one."

"It's going to take some getting used to."

"I'm looking forward to that."

They sat in silence for a while. Off in the distance they could see an old lady walking some kind of little dog. It squatted and did its business and she grabbed him up and hurried back towards her camper.

"You think you're going to miss being Assistant Director?"

"About as much as I miss being a Marine. I was glad to do it; proud that I could do the job; but grew to hate the circumstances each job put me in; and relieved and grateful to be out of it. I feel like I've done my share. It's time to let someone else carry that load."

"I'm glad you feel that way. That's exactly the way I feel. At first I felt a little guilty about wanting out after only ten years; but now that the ten years are up; I feel like it's someone else's turn. I just want to get away from it all; find me a place somewhere and crawl in and never come out again."

"Is this place going to be big enough for two?" Skinner asked.

"Only if you're the second person; no one else would be welcome."

Skinner turned sideways on the bench, facing Alex; Alex did the same.

"You serious about you and me?" he had to ask; had to make sure.

"Absolutely! I knew it the first moment we met. It was like an electric shock shot through me. I knew you were the one. You're the one I want; the only one."

A warm feeling washed over him. Walter reached over and took Alex's hand. It was icy cold. "You're freezing. We should go back in."

"In a minute." He held onto Walter's hand, enjoying the feel of it in his own.

Walter slid an arm around Alex's shoulder and pulled him closer. Alex rested his head on Walter's shoulder. Walter pressed a kiss against Alex's temple. Alex looked up and caught Walter's eyes staring into his. Walter kissed him then; a long slow sweet kiss then stood and pulled Alex to his feet.

"We need to go before we both catch pneumonia."

They hurried back to their motor home and went inside. Mulder and Scully had gone to the back and they were grateful for that. Walter pulled down the bunk and folded the sofa down into a bed for Alex. He pulled pillows and blanks out for both of them.

"Tomorrow night; we can sleep in there where we belong." Alex said in a low voice.

Walter caressed the back of Alex's head, gave him a quick kiss and hopped up on the bunk. He stretched out and turned on his side so he could look down on Alex. Alex was lying on his back looking up at him.

"Tomorrow night," Walter whispered just loud enough for Alex to hear.

Alex nodded his head and agreed, "Tomorrow night".

Walter awoke just as the first light of dawn started seeping in around the edge of their curtains. He rolled over and looked down at Alex. He was still asleep. He lay there and watched him for a while. He knew it wasn't right to think of a man as beautiful; but the sight of Alex Krycek sleeping just a few feet from him brought no other words to mind but beautiful.

It was as though Alex had some sixth sense about him that told him he was being watched. He started to move; his eyes opened and he saw Walter up there, gazing down on him. He smiled. "What a wonderful way to wake up," he said quietly.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Walter said and slid down from his bunk. He reached for Alex's hand and gave it a squeeze as he passed, heading for the restroom. He came back a few minutes later carrying two glasses of orange juice and sat in the chair across from the sofa bed.

Alex sat up and took the juice. "Thanks. One more long day and you and I are out of the Bureau and out on our own."

"I was thinking along those same lines myself," Walter answered.

"Morning," Scully called to the two of them and dug in the fridge for some juice. She poured two glasses and went back into the bed room.

"I wonder if he'll ever grow to appreciate her." Alex asked.

"He might. With Mulder, you can never tell. This baby might make the world of difference."

"Do you think he knows about the baby yet?"

"I don't know. It's a good thing Scully is as strong as she is. Most women wouldn't put up with his shit."

"You're right about that." Alex agreed finishing off his juice.

Walter and Alex were just finishing off their cereal when they heard loud voices from the back.

"YOU'RE WHAT? YOU CAN'T BE!" It was Mulder's voice, then "DO THEY KNOW?" They could hear Scully's voice murmuring low; trying to quiet Mulder down.

He stumbled out into the kitchen area and yelled at them.

"YOU KNEW! YOU KNEW SHE WAS PREGNANT AND YOU LET HER COME OUT HERE? YOU EXPOSED HER TO THE OILEANS KNOWING WHAT THEY CAN DO?"

"Mulder, please stop. I told you I insisted on coming and I wasn't exposed to them. I didn't go down in that silo."

"But you drove all over the country with him when he had that thing inside him," he accused, pointing a finger at Alex. "No telling what damage that could have done to the baby." He whirled on Skinner, "How could you have let this happen? You're supposed to be looking after her and you let her expose herself to God knows what all!" He stormed back into the bedroom area, holding on the walls along the way for support. Scully trailed after him.

"I think I liked him better when he was unconscious," Walter said, clearing the table. Alex chuckled and agreed and got up to help.

In another 10 minutes they were on the road again heading south east. All was quiet from the back; at least they couldn't hear any arguing.

"We got about 8 more hours of driving. I figured we'd do four this morning, stop for lunch and finish up this afternoon. That should put us back in DC about 4:00, in time to beat most of the traffic. I'll call Cassidy during lunch break and have her meet us in the parking garage with the paperwork. We can get them signed and get out of there before the 5 o'clock traffic hits."

"That sounds great; something to really look forward to today!" Alex agreed with a smile.

"Where is this campground you mentioned?" Walter asked.

"It's on highway 66 about 45 miles west of DC. There's a real nice little state park there."

"Sounds perfect. If it's like the rest of the parks we've been staying it, there shouldn't be that many other campers around."

"This isn't exactly the camping season."

"The more privacy for us." Walter smiled

"It's going to be a long day." Alex grinned.

"But worth the wait," Walter smiled back.

The morning half of the trip went easily. Traffic was light and the weather stayed nice. They ran into a few snow flurries around Chicago but soon drove out of them. Close to noon they spotted a roadside rest stop and pulled over.

Scully was in the kitchen before they got back there. They took turns using the rest room and fixing their lunches. By the time Walter and Alex were ready to sit down with their soup and sandwiches, Mulder and Scully were seated at the dinette; side by side.

Walter and Alex sat opposite them; Alex first, sitting across from Mulder; and Walter on the outside, across from Scully.

Mulder was sullen, playing in some applesauce that Scully was trying to get him to eat.

"Well, we're almost there. Another four hours and we'll have you home." Walter said.

"Can't be soon enough for me," Scully said, clearly tired out from the ordeal.

"We did good though, we got him back for you." Alex said to Scully. Mulder glared at him, Alex ignored him and ate his lunch.

"This really is a nice bus. It's been a life safer for us." Scully said, looking around.

"I hate it!" Mulder pouted.

"A few more hours and you can get off and go back to your apartment." Skinner said.

"I want you in the hospital for a thorough check up," Scully insisted.

"I'm fine. I need to get back to work. Skinner, have you made any progress out where we were working? I've got some ideas I'd like to talk over with you. I think I know just where to start once we get back."

Walter and Alex exchanged looks; Alex kept eating.

"Mulder, you'll have to find someone else to help you. I'm officially retiring this afternoon; as soon as we get back to DC."

"WHAT? You can't be serious! Right when we're closer than we've ever been!"

"Closer to what, Mulder? Closer to the next mystery, then the next, and the next? I'm though. I've done my time. Let someone else have the privilege of keeping your ass out of trouble."

Mulder sat and stared at him.

"Sir, are you really retiring?" Scully asked.

"I am. I've already spoken with Cassidy and she's going to have my papers ready this afternoon along with Krycek's."

"I'm just so surprised. I thought sure you'd stay until they got rid of Kirsh and put you in the Deputy Director's place. That's where you belong; everyone says the job was rightfully yours."

"Thank you Scully. I've had 23 years at the Bureau; it's time I moved on. I'm ready for a little peace and quiet."

"Are you quitting because of him?" Mulder asked "Did he feed you some line and you bought into it?"

"I'm not quitting, Mulder. I'm retiring. There's a difference. It's time. I'm ready to leave and I'm leaving. I make my own decisions for my own reasons. Now if everyone is finished here, I'd like to get back on the road." He stood up and dismissed them as he would have had they been in his office.

Scully and Mulder shuffled into the back.

Walter and Alex cleaned up the mess and in no time they were back on the road.

"Last leg of this trip," Walter said with a sigh. "It's been a long one."

"Yes, it has indeed; next stop, DC!" Alex agreed with a smile.

"You know, you and I have a lot to talk about," Walter said, glancing over at Alex once he had gotten the motor home back out on the highway.

"That we do. I'll be able to answer any and all of your questions. I promised Cassidy total confidentiality on everything that went on these last 10 years. Now that it's over, I'm free to discuss anything you want." The relief flooding over him with that statement was plain on his face.

They talked easily between them about unimportant things. They discovered they both liked to read, both had always wanted to travel cross country by motor home; just not the way they were doing it now. They both had dreams of finding a small place out in the country somewhere away from the city. That was one of the first things they would do was start a computer search for a place for them.

Walter had called Cassidy and told her what time they would be there and told her to meet them in the parking garage at the Hoover. She wasn't too happy about it but finally agreed.

The afternoon actually went quite fast and before they knew it they were pulling into the Hoover's parking garage.

True to her word, Cassidy was standing there waiting for them when they pulled up. Skinner opened the door for her and invited her in. She came in and took a look around; Mulder and Scully came out of the back room and greeted her. She seemed to be in a foul mood for some reason but none of them questioned her on it; not wanting to be dragged into another one of her schemes.

She took a long look at Mulder, studying the marks on his face that were nearly healed now and turned to Skinner. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?" She asked.

"Positive. If you have the papers, we'd like to sign them now and be on our way before traffic gets any worse."

She sat her briefcase down on the kitchen counter and opened it. She handed one bunch of papers to Krycek and another bunch to Skinner. They scanned the papers and signed and initialed them in all the proper places. Cassidy gave them each a copy, handed them each a packet explaining all their benefits, closed up her briefcase and walked out the door; nothing more to be said. Mulder followed her out and was met by a team of doctors and fellow agents wanting to question him. Scully hesitated a moment turned and said, "Thank you, both of you," then she was out the door after the others.

Walter pulled the door shut behind them and locked it, smiled at Alex and said, "We're out of here!"

Skinner burned rubber out of the parking garage, and Krycek grinned at him and held on.

"You in a hurry or something?"

"You might say that," Skinner answered as he pulled out into the street. He maneuvered the big bus in and out of traffic and soon they were heading west on 66. "About 45 miles, you said?"

"That's right. We should make it in about 5 minutes at this speed if we don't get pulled over."

"Oh. You're right. That's the last thing we need right now," Skinner agreed and took the speed back down to 65.

"I'll need a shower when we get there," Alex said.

"Me too. This campground have full hook-ups?"

"Yep, full hook-ups, on site laundry facilities, small grocery store, the works."

"Good. I'll need to do some laundry and later find a place to pick up some clothes. I have no desire right now to go back to the condo. I have a feeling Mulder will be there soon enough."

"You're probably right about that. You can bet he'll come looking for you."

"Let him look." Walter smiled over at him.

Alex just smiled back and looked out the windshield.

Another 30 minutes they came to the sign that said: State Park--Campgrounds Ahead.

"Is that it?" Walter asked.

"That's it," Alex answered sitting up straighter in his seat.

Walter pulled off the highway and took the two-lane road leading off to the campground.

In minutes he was pulling through the open gateway and drove around until he found an area where very few campers were parked. It was out in back of the laundry facility/store and that was fine with them. They had no need to be up close to the play grounds and picnic areas.

Walter got out and did the hookups; he came back inside to find Alex stripping the bed in the back.

"I'll finish that. You go ahead and grab a shower. I'll be finished by the time you're done."

"Deal," Alex answered and tossed Walter a set of clean sheets. He pulled his robe out of the closet and went in to shower.

Walter had the bed made in no time and was up front closing all the shades and digging through his bag for something to wear when Alex came out of the bathroom.

Walter dropped his bag and in 2 or 3 steps he had Alex in his arms in a crushing kiss. He backed him up against the wall and pressed against him; claiming his mouth and tasting the toothpaste. He pulled back breathless; "two minutes, no five minutes. I've got to shave too." He panted, not wanting to let Alex go. Foreheads together, he pressed little kisses across Alex's nose and rubbed his cheek against Alex's freshly shaved cheek. "I'll be right out."

"Uh huh," Alex was too breathless and aroused to think of anything else to say. He walked into the front area and checked the door to make sure it was locked. He wandered back into the back and found the bed all made and turned down. He went to the nightstand and took out a tube of lube and laid it on top. He should have brought a damp towel out for clean up and he forgot. He'd get one when Walter came out.

He wondered if he had any clothes that might fit Walter for him to wear until they got his laundered and decided on a pair of sweats and laid them out for him. They could do laundry later. He pulled out his dirty clothes and the sheets and took them into the front room and dumped them on the couch. He pulled the pillow cases off the pillows up front and added them to the pile.

He had just finished that when the door opened and Walter came out; a towel wrapped around his mid-section; another thrown over his shoulder. Alex went to him then and was taken into his arms; more breathless kisses as they made their way to the back and collapsed onto the bed. Mouths welded together, bodies pressing against one another, legs entangling, arms holding and hands caressing as much as they could reach. First one on top then the other; the bed creaked under their weight but they didn't hear it. They did hear something else though.

"What IS that?" Walter said exasperated at being interrupted.

"Shit, just a minute!" Alex untangled and jumped up. He rummaged through his clothes and brought out the offending cell phone and hurled it the length of the motor home. It squawked as it hit the front dash board, but it silenced.

Alex lunged back into Walter's waiting arms. Walter fumbled with the belt tie but soon Alex's robe was on the floor and Walter's towel followed it. Their mouths clung as their tongues were sucked thoroughly. Walter broke away first, turning Alex on his back and nuzzling kisses down the center of his chest; crossing over to lick and suck each nipple as Alex moaned his pleasure.

Walter trailed kisses on down across the flat abdomen and spent some time dipping his tongue into the small flat navel while Alex squirmed and giggled. He left there and went on down nuzzling his nose through the pubic hair, rubbing his cheek against the swollen shaft bobbing for attention. He caressed it with his hand, running his thumb over the tip and Alex moaned out loud, "OH YES!" and pushed his hips up into Walter's hand.

Walter licked across the moistened tip and Alex shuddered, "Ooooohhhhhh," Pleased with that response Walter did it again, slower this time; Alex gasped. Walter started licking the entire shaft then all around, under the ridge; from tip to base, one hand caressing as he went; the other fondling balls. Alex was shuddering and gasping and Walter took him in then, all the way down his throat. It had taken Walter some time to perfect this move but found the results well worth the effort. Alex let out a wail and began thrusting his hips frantically; Walter pulled off, then back down again, and again each time coming up with a long hard suck at the tip. Alex doubled up then and grabbing handfuls of sheet exploded into Walter's mouth. Walter sucked and sucked and silently cursed himself for not doing this more often; he loved it so.

He leaned back and watched as Alex came back down to earth. One of his fantasies over the years had been just that. Totally addling Krycek with sex though his reasons were different now.

The dark eyelashes began to flutter then open; a smile worked it way across his lips; he didn't want to move; didn't want to waste a single second of this feeling.

"You still with me?" Walter asked.

"Umm hmmm, "Alex mumbled.

"Good, because I'm not through with you yet," Walter warned and lay back down beside him, kissing his shoulder.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Alex answered and turned into the cuddling embrace beside him.

Walter held him close then jumped up, "Oh my God! I forgot about your arm? Is it OK? Did we hurt it?"

Alex rolled back a bit and smiled; green eyes flashing, "It seems to be working just fine," he ran it up and down Walter's back.

"No pain? Nothing?" Walter asked.

"It feels a little weak; that's all; no aches or pains." Alex pushed Walter flat on his back and kissed him. Walter's arms came up around him, holding him carefully. Alex moved over on top; laying full length on Walter; kissing him again and again. "I've wanted to be right here from the first day we met!" Alex whispered against the side of Walter's neck; kissing and sucking, leaving little red marks.

"Me too, Alex, me too," Walter agreed breathlessly. He gasped as Alex ground their hips together pressing Walter's aching cock against his lower stomach. Walter's hips moved with him causing just the right friction. "Aaaaahhhhhh" Walter gasped, open-mouthed.

Alex leaned up then and moved on down. He lowered his head and took the swollen cock in as far as he could. He knew Walter wasn't going to last long so he stopped after a minute or two. Walter whimpered when he pulled off.

Alex reached for the lube and lubed Walter's cock up good then got to his knees and squeezed more lube onto two of his fingers. He lifted one leg and lubed himself up pressing inside, preparing himself. Walter watched panting for breath. Alex straddled him then, and lowered himself down slowly sinking Walter's cock deep inside himself.

They let out a collective "Aaaahhhhh" as he bottomed out. He sat there for a moment until his body adjusted to Walter's thickness. Slowly he began to raise his hips and lower them; Walter's eyes squeezed tightly shut; his hands holding on to Alex's hips. The two of them moved as one for a time then Walter's brown/black eyes flashed opened. He gripped Alex and turned them over; Alex's legs held up on Walter's forearms. A moment's adjusting and they were situated and Walter was back in control, the way he liked it. He stroked slowly at first, but in no time he had found the perfect angle; Alex's mouth came open as if to shout but nothing came out but a low guttural moan.

That was all it took for Walter to loose what ever control he had. He began pounding into Alex then; more, harder, faster, deeper. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, the only thing that existed in the world was his cock inside Alex's ass. His gut tightened up and spasm after spasm shook him as he emptied everything he had into Alex.

They collapsed in a tangle of arms and legs and sweat and semen. Walter's hand went to his chest and found it wet. Alex had come again and he hadn't even known it, he was so out of it. He turned to see if Alex was OK and saw him laying on his back open-mouthed, gasping for breath. He lay back down then, trying to catch his own breath.

He didn't know how this thing between them was going to work, where they would go, or what the future would hold; but he knew one thing for sure. It was going to be interesting!

THE END


End file.
